What's Art Got to Do With It?

stARTup San Francisco 2018 delved into provocative social issues in turbulent times through installations, performances, and an especially relevant panel discussion about recent art world happenings and the public reaction to those events.

                          The Factronauts performance commented on the current state of US politics.

If you missed the fair, you missed the dynamic tension that art always brings to current events like The Factronauts (artists Peter Foucault and Chris Treggiari) who are wandering the country this year with their project NASA, (NorCal Artists Seeking America). They made a stop at stARTup donning their customized explorer suits to collect data from fairgoers as they piece together what it means to live life in a new and "foreign" America.

And Hunter Franks presented his interactive booth, "How to Start a Revolution" inviting passerbys to post their ideas about what a revolution looks like. Over 230 messages of hope and change hung from the piece by the end of the fair.

                        How to Start A Revolution installation at stARTup SF 2018, by Hunter Franks.

Speedball: The Art World Highs and Lows 2017 - 2018
But the high point had to be a provocative panel led by Amy Kisch Founder, Collect for Change, who organized and moderated a thoughtful discussion about the politics of what transpired in the art world in the past year. From the #WeAreNotSurprised movement shining a light on predatory sexual behavior, Dana Schutz's painting of Emmett Till, Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley's Obama Family portraits, and burgeoning political activist movements within the art sphere, there was much to discuss about the machinations at play and what a positive future means moving forward.

You'll find many more Art Conversations from our fairs on our Facebook page. Click 'videos' to watch and let us know what you think.

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All photos by Mido Lee. 

Videography by Ant Farm Media