Art’s Empty Dissent: Raqs Collective’s Woke Wanderlust
A decade-long Indian solo from Raqs Media Collective offers performative dissent, not genuine provocation.
FO Take · Score 25
Raqs Media Collective’s return to India epitomises art’s vacuous radicalism. Exploring “dissent, memory, and time” across elite galleries and protest sites is merely intellectual tourism, designed to flatter patrons rather than challenge power. Such curated rebellion is safely digestible, offering the illusion of engagement without demanding genuine confrontation. What exactly does this “disobedient shamiana” ultimately disrupt?
The strongest counter
Art must reflect complex social realities, engaging with both history and contemporary struggle. Raqs fosters necessary dialogue by connecting disparate global and local contexts.
