Digital archive documents how protest arts address police violence

Policing has become a contentious subject globally, with systemic injustices prompting diverse responses of resistance and revolt. In turn, protest movements around the world have increasingly turned to art as a dynamic tool for resistance, awareness and advocacy for change.

In this context, the Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre (C-SET) at the University of Regina launched the Ar(c)tivism and Policing digital archival research project as part of a five-day Festival of Art and Discourse.

This “living archive” initiative documents and analyzes the role of protest arts in addressing police brutality and systemic injustice through digital ethnography—the study of cultural and social aspects of human interaction through online technologies.

Socially engaged art

The archive is concerned with how socially engaged art has shaped resistance movements and “artivism“—the combination of art and activism for transformative social action. The archive emphasizes the role of art in resisting oppressive systems such as police violence, systemic racism and the enduring effects of colonialism.

Our methodology for gathering and documenting works prioritizes inclusivity, focusing on works that address systemic injustices and resonate with resistance movements. The archive features a diverse range of artworks connected to protests or broader cultural concerns for change.

We document both creative works from grassroots creators and from established figures (for example, such as Kent Monkman or Laolu Senbanjo).

Currently, the archive is designed to focus on Nigeria, Bangladesh, the United States and Canada. Materials are organized into categories such as Visual Arts, Music, Performance, Documentaries, Literary Works and News headlines (news about art as resistance). This structure captures the diverse ways artists and activists respond to police brutality and systemic oppression.

All the content is publicly accessible through social media platforms and online news outlets. The archive is open to input and collaboration from artists, researchers and activists.

The ‘r’ in ar(c)tivism

By showcasing the cultural resistance embedded in art, the project highlights the capacity of art to drive social change and foster collective empowerment. Current archival collections focus on:

Nigeria: The Sorosoke Movement: The project’s Nigerian segment spotlights the 2020 Sorosoke movement, a youth-led protest demanding the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). SARS, notorious for corruption, extortion, arbitrary detention and extrajudicial killings, symbolized systemic abuse within the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). Protest art from this movement includes paintings, murals, illustrations, spoken-word performances, skits, images and music that captured the frustrations and aspirations of a generation demanding accountability and systemic reform.

Bangladesh: The Quota Reform Movement 2024: In Bangladesh, the focus shifts to the 2024 mass uprising that sought equitable government job opportunities and an end to systemic discrimination. Protest art from this movement includes posters, graffiti, street art, paintings and drawings that conveyed themes of resistance and aspirations for democratic reform. These artworks reflect the youth’s vision for a fairer society.

United States: Black Lives Matter (BLM): The archive prominently features the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, particularly following George Floyd’s murder in May 2020. Protest art includes large-scale murals, graffiti, music, light projections and performance pieces. These works mourned the loss of Black lives while demanding systemic change and racial justice.

Canada: Amplifying marginalized voices

The Canadian segment of the archive is still in the early stages. It aims to feature art created by Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities that protest police violence and systemic racism or that is meaningful to protest movements.

Scholars and creative practitioners challenge Canada’s self-image as a multicultural haven, exposing systemic inequalities. For instance, scholar Robin Maynard’s book Policing Black Lives highlights systemic injustice and state violence in Canada against Black bodies.

Publications like the “Kanesatake Resistance” and others by the Art Canada Institute highlight contributions from Indigenous activists or artists who have waded into sociopolitical discourse, drawing on creativity to change oppressive structures. Such publications offer critical context for the works the archive seeks to document.

The digital repository

As the project evolves, it aims to offer several key insights based on prior research that can also shape new perspectives and inquiries around:

1. Art as a catalyst for change: Art has the ability to mobilize communities and sustain momentum in social movements, such as the #EndSARS protests in Nigeria. The archive aspires to build on these foundations by curating a diverse array of artworks that exemplify this dynamic.

2. The role of youth in protest movements: Young people are central to driving protest movements. Through digital communication networks and creative expressions, youth amplify their demands globally. The archive seeks to document these contributions.

3. Global solidarity through the art: The archive’s goal is to highlight themes of resistance and resilience that resonate across movements, fostering a sense of global connection. Prior analyses highlight art’s potential to inspire solidarity.

4. Sustainability of justice movements: Protest symbols such as the raised fist or the “I Can’t Breathe” murals have become enduring icons of resistance. Specific language, symbolism, gestures and images are are critical to youth, activism and social movements. Through creative practice, symbols play evocative role, foster political participation in social movements and sustain justice movements over time. The archive aims to document important symbols.

A resource for researchers, educators, ‘arctivists’

We hope the archive will serve as a valuable resource for educators, researchers and activists exploring the power of art in advocacy with regards to:

• Data for research across fields such as policing, media, sociology, anthropology, political science and more;
• Case studies for teaching related to art as a resistance tool, enriching courses on social movements, human rights, digital ethnography, media, cultural studies, and more;
• Inspiration for ar(c)tivists—the repository can serve as a source of inspiration for artists and activists looking to create their own works of resistance.

By documenting protest art from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Canada and the United States, the Ar(c)tivism and Policing project preserves powerful expressions of dissent and amplifies their impact. It invites reflection on creativity’s role in resistance and showcases how art can continue shaping the fight for justice and equity worldwide.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.