Greetings all of you fabulous antagonists. For those of you who are unaware of what this blog is about (even after reading the profile page, which I'm sure all of you have done), then below is the entire manifesto of the Antagonist Art Movement. Read on for further enlightenment, stay tuned for all of our events, reviews, rants, raves and pure trash-talk.
Manifesto of the Antagonist Movement
The Antagonist is one in whom potential is provoked to creative
emanation, emanation that, in turn, provokes both the creator and
those with whom it comes in contact, to further authentic creativity.
Thus a powerful cycle is unleashed upon the world, one which is fueled
by its own unstoppable spirit, drive, and dynamic energy.
The Antagonist defines him-or-herself as one in opposition to the
natural order on many fronts. If that is a crime, then the Antagonist
is the criminal of art, one at war with a number of enemies.
One persistent enemy is the ‘If” – “If he fails,” “If she succeeds,”
“If they are laughed at.” Contingencies must not matter and must not
be allowed to take hold of the artist’s mind. The Antagonist must
become deaf to their whimpering and have the courage to make art in
spite of it.
Another ever-present danger to the antagonist is the artist’s ego.
When self-aggrandizement enters the creative cycle as a significant
player, satisfying its appetite soon becomes an end in itself,
stultifying and deadening creativity, making it impotent and incapable
of provoking more creativity, thus threatening the very life of the
creative cycle.
Commercialism and opportunism are perhaps the most virulent enemies of
the Antagonist. The exploitation of the creative is not an Antagonist
objective in any sense. Such behavior does not provoke true creativity
because material reward soon becomes an end in itself, the creative
cycle is interrupted, and, deprived of its soul, languishes and dies.
Witness the dead art that floods the commercial markets. Antagonists
do battle against “commercialists,” the parasites of the art world. If
Antagonists sell their work for profit, they must never make art with
material reward in mind even if they seize upon their power to use the
system against itself when necessary.
Not only is the Antagonist one who opposes, but also one who provokes.
He or she is bound by a most sacred vow to bring forth creative
potential wherever it resides, whether in the human heart or in the
soul of non-human material. The Antagonist pledges to do what he or
she can to assist any artist, in any field of art, to engage in the
creative process, and to destroy obstacles to genuine free expression
everywhere. In like manner, the Antagonist will bring into the service
of art any resource, material, or tool which would perpetuate the
creative cycle as described above, whether authorized by social
convention or not, no matter how great the resistance to doing so.
The words set down above constitute a Manifesto of the Antagonist Movement.
Members of the Antagonist Movement hereby underwrite and pledge to
live and make art according the principles outlined herein and to
further these principles whenever possible in their own community and
in the world at large.
The Antagonist Art Movement consists of crazies from all walks of life who gather to create art. We run several shows in the East Village area:
Alphabet City Soup is our Monday night music show that runs every Monday and brings you the best of new music in the NYC area. We've had some foreigners play our show as well. It's free, coupled with $4 Mojito Night and if you are a band, or know a band who wants to play, contact Marissa at alphabetcitysoup@gmail.com.
Art Show night happens every Thursday and always has different artists showing off their goods. Everything is put up and taken down in just one evening (think guerilla museum exhibition!) and there have been thousands of artists who have already shown their stuff. If you are interested in showing your work, or know an artist who you think is great, contact Ethan at antagonistart@aol.com.
Writer's Night is for the linguistically gifted artists and takes place twice a month at two different venues. Each writer gets 5 minutes to show off their shit, whether it be poetry, short story, music, silence, whatever. We've found some famous people at this night, so contact us at antagonistart@aol.com if you wanna be next!
We all hope you enjoy what you read here and that you, in turn, realize the power of your art. Come support us at any of our shows and if you want to get involved just tell us! We love giving and receiving support. Thanks all.
-The Antagonist Art Movement
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