Art and social protest

At the 23rd edition of the contemporary art fair FLECHA 2014 (Feria de Liberación de Espacios Comerciales Hacia el Arte), held every year in Madrid and, along with ARCO or ART-MADRID, one of the places of interest for every follower of contemporary art both in Spain and abroad, this year people have talked about new trends, better known and lesser known artists...and above all, about the artworks that artist Le Frère is showing at the fair.

From 6 February until 2 March, more than 50 artists are exhibiting some 500 contemporary artworks, in several categories such as painting, printmaking, drawing, ceramics, sculpture and photography. Le Frère's drawings catch the eye not only for the material and the support he uses (black ballpoint pen on toilet paper, two-ply) but for the message that comes with his artworks. According to the artist himself, it's a message "with a strong social charge and a critical edge suited to the times we live in".

It's no surprise that we're starting to see artworks reflecting the social moment we're living through. After all, art has always shown reality and the artist's own inner world: their worries, their dreams, their surroundings...there's always a reason to start conceptualising a new artwork, so why not something we want to call out in front of society?

In the words of the celebrated Ernst Fischer, "in a decaying society, art, if it is truthful, must also reflect decay. And unless it wants to break faith with its social function, art must show the world as changeable. And help to change it."

Does an artist have a social responsibility? Can they use art to call out a situation and help change what's around them?

Do you agree with this view of art? Or should it stay on a more aesthetic level?