Hacking Captialism: Socially Engaged Art through Alternative Art Economies and Entrepreneurship

Situated within the wider arena of public art, socially engaged art is defined as art-in-the-public-interest, as it foregrounds social issues, political activism and community collaborations. (Kwon 2002) Recognised globally as a major artistic practice, it nonetheless operates beyond the gallery– museum nexus. Because of this nature, and with its ambition to drive social impacts, the practice has a praxiologically problematic relationship with the art market system, which predominately favours household decorations. However, because of its site-orientedness, there is great potential of symbiosis between artistic work and the economic paradigm. Instead of critiquing the Capital system with straightforward antagonism, artists working along these lines adopt penetrative approaches to create possibilities within the system. The practice-based research aims to focus on this strand of socially engaged art, which situates itself in a symbiotic relationship with the market through creating alternative art economies.