Religion and Politics??

[Susan McAllister]

I know that in polite society we aren't supposed to discuss religion and politics, and I have no intention of delving into the religion thing, but politics - well, maybe.

I am curious about political mail art. I've seen some, but rarely make it. Not because it offends me but because I don't really know how to integrate the two very well. And I wonder if some people might be offended by receiving it.

I suspect there is a long history of political mail art, but I don't know where to find about it. DVS, might you be a source of info about this?

Anyone, jump in and tell me what you think. Are you into to it? Ot hate it?

[Ana Karina]

Interesting topic Susan! I think you should make whatever mailart you want including religious or political. Truthfully, I'd probably be annoyed if I received a political mailart that was very far off from my beliefs. As for religious mailart- I sometimes end up with some kinda offensive religious mailart (uh accidentaly...)- and usually i'm concentrating on visuals and don't notice until the end. Then I think to myself - I have no idea who to send this Nun in flames mailart - what if they're catholic and are offended?!?! So I end up not sending it!

I'm an atheist myself (grew up catholic-ish) but I wouldn't be offended by most religious mailart unless it just looks like some jesus propaganda.

[Susan McAllister]

Hi, BG. Actually, I meant religious mail art, not religious art. I was getting tired when I wrote that. I don't generally find religious art interesting, but you are right. Those flying buttresses are really cool! I do consider those gothic churchs art.

Thanks for the pictures. Great stuff.

I guess this thread is partly a way for me to feel out who is interested in political mail art. Thanks to all of you willing to jump into a controversial topic.

[borderlinegrafix]

You are welcome!  I said I liked religious mail art, not religious art, but to think of it, I do like the way those lifesize painted wooden statues of Mary seem to follow you with their eyes, has that happened to you before?  Although it is not religious art, flying buttresses are way up there on my list.  A sand painting by buddhists or a thanka is amazing too.  I just feel out the other mail artist to see if they are crazy too.

Here is an example of political mail art, done by someone else, in 1984.  Also, the voting thing is still a work in progress, but I'm making headway....

[Susan McAllister]

Thanks, Biggie G, for your thoughtful response. It onus like there I much more history than I imagined. Do you know where one might see some of this art?

I vote with my gun sounds great. Would you be willing to post it?

Also, I have a personal question. Feel free to ignore it if you wish. Could you elaborate on why you like religious art? I guess, what I'm really trying to understand is how do you balance your right to personal expression vs being sensitive to others feelings, as Val says. I guess that became a question for Val, as well.

Thanks to you both for your thoughts.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

The more multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic,etc, diverse a society is, the more likely that whatever you do, say, make art about, etc, concerning religion, politics, sexuality,  race, etc will offend someone. (Note that that sentence contained 3 'etc's)

Which, of course, is no reason whatsoever not to express your views. And, in a (liberal) democracy you have a (constitutional) right to express those views providing (and this is where it gets difficult) the offence that you cause someone does not violate their rights. (Note that that sentence contained three brackets)

I can think of two main types of political Mail Art -- and yes, we do need DVS to join in. One is where there is a political theme, for example, a collage involving a politician. I've just sent a postcard to a Mail Art Exhibition in Montevideo, Uruguay, on the theme 'No More Dictatorships!' The title of that Exhibition is about as political as you can get...in Uruguay at least (but don't try it in some other countries!)

The second is where Mail Art and/or Art in general is used as an expression of political dissent, a way around strict censorship laws, a force for regime/government change, etc -- as Borderline points out. This was how Mail Art was used behind the Iron Curtain until the Berlin Wall came down and the USSR broke up. It seems to be how Mail Art is being used, by some, in China today.

Mail Art is, to me, about the freedom of expression, and I will include in my Mail Art, and Art in general, whatever political, religious, etc themes, ideas, images, and so on, that I want. At the same time, I will try and respect the sensitivities of others. Religion has to be treated with more care than politics, though.

Hope this helps,

Val (a one-time Professor nof Political Science)

[borderlinegrafix]

Susan, from my limited perspective, politics is mostly addressed with humor, and tongue in cheek mailings, historically.  There are and were some radical mailings too.  You could extend the idea of mail art as a political move to exclude the gallery and museum space, just as Dan Buren (among others) was doing inside the mainstream. 

In the 90's in America, there seemed to be a mailart discourse on the politics of censorship within the mainstream worlds, both museum and government.  Remember Jesse Helms?  He was railroaded by mail artists, but not exclusively.  He pushed buttons.

We also derided Reagan, but I'm sure Nixon had his day in mailart court too.  Comments about the executions in Columbia (now just shift to MX), border issues, drug issues, hegemony, Berlin Wall, Vaclav Havel, the Velvet Revolution, Idi Amin, and too many others to mention have been given weight in the balance.

Humble opinion, of course.  I have something I am working on now, which might be called "I vote with my gun".  It is actually anti-machine.  Anti-machine gun, anti-political machine.

I like political mail art.  I also like religious mail art.

[Raphael'L]

I ask myself the same questions ... Thanks for starting this discussion!