Benjamin Zephaniah (1958-2023), an acclaimed British poet and political activist, passed away yesterday. Through his work, he shone a light on the injustices of capitalist society, calling for united struggle against oppression and exploitation.
Socialist Appeal comrade Nicholas Baldion is amongst the contenders for this year’s John Moores Painting Prize – the winner of which will be announced later this week. We spoke to Nicholas about his artistic work and his communist politics.
Today marks 130 years since the birth of Vladimir Mayakovsky, the Russian artist and poet, whose works have been a consistent source of inspiration for communists. We look back at the life, ideas, and contributions of this revolutionary artist.
Under capitalism, an ocean of talent is left untapped: creativity is crushed by the profit motive; and culture sector workers endure exploitation and oppression. In this talk, Joe Attard discusses the links between art, culture, and revolution.
A major exhibition of self-proclaimed communist artist Alice Neel is currently on show at the Barbican Centre in London. Neel’s politically conscious portraits brilliantly bring to life the hidden history of the American working class and oppressed.
As the class struggle erupts across the world, workers’ anger towards capitalism and the bosses is increasingly finding a reflection in mainstream films and TV. But only freed from the shackles of profit can culture and creativity truly thrive.
In recent months, investors have poured money into NFTs – ‘non-fungible tokens’ – and other speculative digital assets. This is a symptom of the sickness of capitalism, and of how corrupted and commodified art has become under the profit system.
Steve Jones discusses the role of cinema in capitalist society, and how socialism can develop this form of art to its full potential.
Cultural institutions and venues are facing an existential threat. But the Tories have shown only callousness and contempt towards artists and the arts. Capitalism is killing our culture. We need a socialist fightback to save it.
Cinephiles are hoping that the release of the new Christopher Nolan blockbuster ‘Tenet’ will save cinemas across the country. But the industry’s future remains uncertain. The demand for public ownership has never been so relevant.
Artist Nicholas Baldion explains how the art community is depicting the lives of those on the frontline in the fight against the pandemic, paying homage to workers in the NHS and elsewhere.
An exhibition of William Blake’s work has opened at the Tate. Blake was a political radical in his own time. Though limited by his bourgeois outlook, his work captured the horror and indignity of the emerging capitalist mode of production.