Art Separated from Artist

What do Kanye West, Chris Brown, and Marilyn Manson all have in common? Well, besides their recent controversies, whenever their works are brought up, so is the concept of separating art from the artist. This idea isn’t exclusive to just music, as the same arguments can be made for artists in any medium. Many believe that continuing to support art made by controversial artists and figures is perfectly fine so long as we “separate the art from the artist,” but what would someone have to do in order for this argument to be made in the first place? One would ultimately qualify for this conversation and argument if an artist by saying or doing something the public would deem unacceptable. Whether by saying something that could hurt someone, or simply hurting someone directly Artists who already have the mindset that they are untouchable or beyond being held accountable by the public, and who continue to be socially and financially successful, will only be encouraged to act erratically or abusively from their positions of power. So why would you support these artists financially by continuing to consume their art, when there are tons of artists in the world of music we can choose to listen to people who do not abuse their power? To do so just because we’ve decided to “separate the art from the artist” is an illogical mindset. The ideas and viewpoints in the art are directly connected to the artist. Artists should be held accountable for their actions, their words, and their art since all of these have an influence on the public. Artists all have a responsibility not to misuse their influence or abusing their power. When they do, we have the responsibility to boycott them and their work.

Money + Power = Worse Behavior from Artists

Art made by controversial figures cannot be separated from the artist as this sort of mindset would only encourage and enable erratic and abusive behavior. By buying the records, merchandise, concert tickets, or even streaming the music of an artist who is sexist, homophobic, transphobic, racist, or abusive, we are directly, and financially supporting their actions. Plenty of people would say that since the vast majority of people use streaming services, such as Spotify or Pandora (which are known to pay artists unfairly for streams), streaming their music would hardly be supporting the artist at all. While many streaming services do pay artists very unfairly, streaming still supports an artist’s income and garners them more attention, no matter how minuscule. The number of listens and likes builds and expands the platform of their influence.  If we continue to even stream music from those who participate in unacceptable behavior then we are giving them the attention they want which only enables them to continue saying and doing things that are unacceptable. 

   Suppose a metal group called ‘Chaos’ were to release a song that contains sexist and homophobic lyrics onto Spotify. This song is then sampled into original audio on TikTok that gets re-used over and over by millions of content creators. Eventually, the band’s following grows exponentially, and are given more power and attention. With their new following, ‘Chaos’ can negotiate with record labels and use their newfound opportunity to write more lyrics harmful to women, LGBTQ-identifying people, and other minorities.

    Additionally, supporting artists like ‘Chaos’ is unnecessary because there are plenty of artists throughout every genre and medium, who don’t act in the same way these controversial artists do. Within the different genres and subgenres of the world of music, there are hundreds of thousands of artists who haven’t said or done anything not just controversial. So why not discover new, great artists and listen to music by them instead? Those who chose to separate artists from their art sometimes argue that if they didn’t do so, they would be severely limiting the amount of media and art they can consume. However, even if we do limit the amount of art we can consume, it should not be that hard to find other artists who have not done or said controversial things and who also create fantastic music. What matters more to us, listening to as many different artists as possible or discovering new music and other forms of art that is actually good, made by artists who don’t harm others with their words or actions.

Connection and the Widespread Influence of Art

Artists often implement their views, experiences, and ideals into their works, by supporting the art, you are directly supporting the views and ideals of the artist. What you buy, listen to, watch, or like online gets promoted, and so do the ideas within it. The artist and their work are ultimately intertwined. Art cannot be separated from an artist as art ultimately reflects the artist’s worldview. When artists create works of art, they are expressing their own thoughts and emotions within their work. When we, consumers of art popularize their work, we are popularizing and affirming their worldviews as socially acceptable. If there are ethical issues with their ideas, this is a problem.

   The art anyone makes has the power to influence others' perceptions and worldviews. When people view works of art, they are often moved emotionally by the art. This response is shaped by the artist’s views and beliefs, which is then reflected in art. As a result, an artist’s actions and beliefs can have a profound impact on how people view their art, and how it will be received by the public. So what should we do when an artist is abusing their power or promoting worldviews that harm others? Boycott that Art.

  Consider Ms. Smith, a huge comic book geek who loves DC comics and whose favorite character is The Flash. She was beyond excited to hear about the new Flash movie release, however, when she heard all about the things Ezra Miller had done, including grooming underage girls, she was shocked. Ms. Smith knew that she could not support Miller’s actions by watching the new Flash movie, even if it hurt her because she was so excited to see it. She chose not to watch the movie, as she knew that it would be better for those who Miller had hurt, than if she chose to watch it just for her entertainment. She chooses to boycott in the hope that her withdrawal will contribute to a change in power.

Separation of Art and Artist is Impossible    

Though many consumers believe they can set an artist’s views and actions aside from their work, art cannot be separated from the artist. Having this mindset is complacency in the face of unethical behavior and messages, that only enable artists to abuse their power, harm people, and influence others to agree with or engage in that harm. There are thousands of other artists with the same level of talent who don’t behave in an unacceptable manner and who we can enjoy when we choose to boycott Artists who act unethically. Artists implement their views, experiences, and values into their work, which is why boycotting some artists is the only ethical decision to make. When we choose NOT to separate art from the artist, we can help prevent those and future artists from participating in unacceptable behavior and will surely even discover new artists in a vast world of music, comics, books, movies, and more.