Like our own imagination, art can wander off, seeking out the edges, the borderlands, the mysteries. Indeed, this autonomy is art’s power and part of its emotional appeal. But this very ability to separate from everyday material life may also make art impotent in trying to shape the world from which it has escaped. At most it can be a nudge or a

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Right now, at what can feel like a time of moral and political emergency, we cling to sentimental bromides about the importance of art. We treat it as an escape, a balm, a vague set of values that exist beyond the ugliness and venality of the market and the state. Or we look to art for affirmation of our pieties and prejudices. It splits the... See more

Difficult times like war, famine, political protests have historically shaped our cultures, as a shared experience, and a shared suffering; one that ignites change. As art feeds and grows on culture, artists have always been at the forefront of the change it brings. Because it is through art that ideas—revolutionary, groundbreaking, and... See more