Art-State Relations: Art and Power through the Lens of International Treaties

Abstract

As one manifestation of the rising salience of information-policy issues that has been observable since the late 1980s, art is now of central interest to political scientists and practicing policymakers. Wallerstein’s (1990) theoretical argument—“culture is the battleground of the world system”—has been operationalized in developments as diverse as research method innovations that investigate visual art in order to identify significant conflict variables (Smith, 2004) and the use of electronic game design for political purposes (Bogost, 2006). Several features of art become visible from the perspective of its functions in an information production chain that includes a variety of types of information creation, production, flows, and use, several of which are of particular importance for art-state relations. Many information industries specialize in one type of informational activity, but information can be simultaneously collected, generated, and created de novo in the course of producing artworks. Multiple forms of information processing may take place during a single art production process. Artistic production processes often emphasize non-linear rather than linear planning approaches, make outcomes less predictable statistically. And, increasingly, artworks should be treated as both goods and services.