Ray Anthony Barrett VS MFA Thesis 2011
Art in the age of alienation: A glimmer of hope
To make art in this time that Guy Debord defined as the Society of Spectacle is a form of protest against the hegemonic tyranny against the soul of humanity for the greedy benefit of corporate interests. Using myself, other artists, thinkers, cultural events, and art historical movements as examples, I will argue that the psychological trauma, anxiety, disillusionment, disenchantment, complete and utter lack of hope, alienation, and loss of faith in humanity resulting from a conscious awareness of the tools the leaders of our society use to corral the collective consciousness of the mainstream into mental and economic servitude, can be overcome through sublimation of repressed impulses into the form of art. It is by poetically giving voice to these experiences through art, that the artist communicates and connects with others.