art not ads

Art Not Oil describe themselves as “a rolling exhibition aimed at encouraging artists to create work that explores the damage that companies like BP are doing to the planet, and the role art can play in counteracting that damage”. Art Not Oil are dedicated to reclaiming art from oil sponsorship, and some of their members have joined the Art Not Ads pledge . Sponsorship of art is often used by the pro-corporate lobby as a sign of the benificence of the sponsor. It’s a lovely dream, to feel that the directors of a multinational company care so much about the little person that they want to enrich our lives with art exhibitions. Unfortunately it doesn’t take a genius to understand the real motivations: good PR, and distraction from other less popular activities. Sponsorship of the arts may not in itself be a bad thing, but the duplicity of the message, and the assumption that people can’t see through it or are too lazy to do so, are both deeply offensive.