Tomato soup, mashed potatoes or glue: art had to pay a lot during the climate campaigns in recent weeks. By gluing themselves to or besmirching famous works of art, climate activists hope to draw attention to the climate. But not everyone thinks this is the right way to draw attention to this theme. What do you think, are the actions having the desired effect? Or do they miss their target?
The protest movement Just Stop Oil, which opposes all new oil and gas licenses, was founded in England in February of this year and has selected October as the ultimate month of action. They are constantly inventing new ways to draw attention to their ideals. Earlier this month, they smeared Vincent van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers with tomato soup and shoved a chocolate cake into King Charles’ wax head at Madame Tussauds in London.
Here in the Netherlands too, the climate activists are making themselves heard. Activist Jelle de Graaf, for example, stuck to the table during a broadcast of the talk show Jinek. And yesterday the activists struck by clinging to the painting ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ in the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
If the goal of the activists is to get attention, then we can only conclude that they are achieving their goal. Or it is not too much about the actions and too little about the subject. In other words, aren’t they overshooting their target in this way? Let us know what you think!