The poet Cesar A. Cruz once stated:
Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.
Cesar A. Cruz
This seemingly simple sentence revives the debate about the importance of art as a vehicle through which people express political issues. During the May 1968 movement in France, the age range among participants was diverse; however, the young and student population constituted the main force behind the spread of ideas. Their cries of denunciation weren’t limited to spoken words, but were amplified through the deliberate use of posters, music and graffiti on street walls.
This practice didn’t end in the 20th century; far from disappearing, it continues today and has been intensified by the influence of Generation Z, shaped by technological advances and the rise of social media. In this context, art abandons its traditional scholarly discourse – often elitist – and dives into the popular sphere as it is appropriated by groups of young people seeking to promote political change through various forms of cultural expression.
Art as a political instrument
At the beginning of the 20th century, the artistic field began to be shaped by movements that would provoke profound transformations, redefining the role of art in society for the decades that followed. Among them stood out the Mexican Muralism movement, created in the 1920s shortly after the Mexican Revolution. With the aim of democratizing art, it became one of the pioneers in adopting artistic practice as a political instrument, using public walls as a pathway for raising awareness and promoting social protest.
These works – depicting themes related to the history of the Mexican people, class conflict, and exploitation within the capitalist system – broke with the logic of classical art that dominated the period. Instead of being confined to art galleries, which were accessible only to a restricted segment of the population, they occupied public spaces.
Over the following decades, not only did artistic styles transform, but the groups producing such interventions also expanded. In the 1960s and 1970s, in countries such as the United States, street art emerged as a form of protest against hegemonic culture and marginalization. Graffiti, mainly produced by young people from underprivileged neighborhoods seeking for a place to express their ideas and affirm their existence within the urban environment, became a central form of visual resistance.
How art is being used by young people in protest movements
After the consolidation of the internet and the boom of digital platforms, artistic expressions aimed at challenging social problems and fighting for rights gained a new global configuration, marked by the combination of physical and digital revolt.
During the protests against fiscal austerity and the rising cost of living – led by Generation Z – in Kenya in 2024, social media platforms were actively used by Kenyan youth as a tool to disseminate the issue worldwide and draw the attention of authorities to the population’s frustration. To reach as many people as possible, the group appropriated artistic expressions such as memes and digital illustrations. However, it was the musical expression that stood out. Through rap lyrics and sounds, young people aimed to bring visibility to the social mobilizations impacting the country, demonstrating a power whose reach is not limited to theoretical discourse but is capable of producing concrete actions and significant political change in Kenya.
Furthermore, with the expansion of digital platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter (X), TikTok and Facebook, artistic expression from different regions began to influence protest movements. The song “Not Like Us”, by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, for example, inspired collective mobilizations against tax increases in Kenya.
The forms of expression did not remain confined to conventional artistic styles associated with protest. During the recent wave of demonstrations against violence and against the prohibition of social media use – led by young students in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Itahari, the main cities of Nepal – protesters filled the streets with an unexpected symbol: a large flag from the Japanese anime One Piece. Within the series, the flag represents the liberation of oppressed people and resistance to autocratic governments. This symbolism was adopted by Nepali youth, turning it into a collective call in response to attempts to silence protests and the growing number of government corruption cases.
In light of these examples, it becomes evident that multiple forms of artistic expression, whether digital or not, hold the power to catalyze meaningful political change on a global scale. The connection between art and political activism is not new, but it has undergone a series of transformations shaped by technological advancements and the creation of social media.
In this scenario, young people occupy a central position: navigating a moral and political environment marked by inequality – yet shaping the functioning of contemporary society – they bring social injustices to the surface. Through diverse artistic strategies of protest, they not only raise awareness but also mobilize political change and confront the system that governs their lives.
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The article above was edited by Maryanna Arison.
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