Research Catalogue

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This study by artist Jonas Staal explores the development of propaganda art from the 20th to the 21st century. Staal defines propaganda as the performance of power by means of the equation propaganda = power + performance. Through his work as a propaganda researcher and practice as a propaganda artist, he argues that different structures of power generate different forms of propaganda and therefore different forms of propaganda art. Whereas in the context of the 20th century Staal discusses the differences between avant-garde, totalitarian, and modernist propaganda art, in the 21st century he proposes the categories of War on Terror Propaganda Art, Popular Propaganda Art, and Stateless Propaganda Art. By means of concrete examples of artists and artworks within each of these categories, he attempts to show how the performance of power in the 21st century translates into different visual forms, and how they shape and direct our reality. Staal’s study shows that power and art exist in continuous interaction. Propaganda and propaganda art are not terms that only refer to the past, but concepts and practices through which we can understand the construction of reality in the present.

type	research exposition
keywords	propaganda, propaganda art, performance studies, avant-garde propaganda art, totalitatian propaganda art, 20th century, 21st century
date	25/01/2018
last modified	15/11/2022
status	in progress
share status	public
copyright	Jonas Staal
license	CC BY-NC-ND
language	English
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/1787557/1787558
connected to	Academy of Creative and Performing Arts
external link	https://hdl.handle.net/1887/60210

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Propaganda Art from the 20th to the 21st Century (last edited: 2022)

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