Social Strategies Redefining Social Realism

Social Realism was first labeled as a definable art movement in the 1920s, when art and propaganda merged during the Russian Revolution. Much of today's social art is beyond mere "social realism," following a path from realism to abstraction and transcendence, initially trod by artists such as Mark Rothko and Barnett, An abstraction encoded with utopian ideology. In the late twentieth century a strikingly different kind of social realism emerged. Though propaganda plays heavily into the mix, So does a darker reality borne out on the streets of urban centers and inrual backyards, languishing in a post-industrial depression. Since the 1980s, socially conscious artists have increasingly addressed issues of narcissism/vanity, consumption, commerce, sex, drugs, and AIDS. Work by 25 artists is represented inSocial Strategies, including Jenny Holzer, Gilbert & George, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres.