An Oxymoron is a contradiction, it is when two opposing conjunctions form a word or phrase. The Lawyers Arts Club is an example of Oxymoron as it unites two distinctly different professions together to create legal art. Exploring this literary term allows us as a club to further understand the parallels and how they might inspire the work we produce.
Art and the Law have combined before, on numerous occasions and often through political cartoons in response to a current or evolving situation. Bob Moran is a political artist who takes current topical issues such as Government policies on Covid-19 and Vaccinations and turns them into artwork. Most of his artwork is satirical, turning these issues into opinionated, amusing artwork. His artwork is discursive and often derivative of the government. Using his platform as an artist to insight discussion on current issues allows him to convey his thoughts into the images. Similar in the conventional style of other political artistry his pieces often mock or present caricatures of topical political figures. For instance, he most recently produced a piece that addresses the controversial parties that took place at 10 Downing Street, the image presents a naked, bloated Boris Johnson lying face down in a mess of discarded alcohol bottles and policies. The artwork is obviously relevant politically but poses a discussion about the trustworthiness of parliamentary order in an unapologetic image.
An Artist can challenge normality within their artwork, creating a reality that is entirely unique, often an Artist creates a piece of artwork based on what they know or have experienced. Art is an incredibly broad term and can range between moulding characters or making statements to depicting landscapes. Some artists create purely fictional driven work but often there is a socially political metaphor within the artwork. Tracey Emin’s “My Bed” in 1998 discussed themes of abuse and trauma, taking a symbol of safety and created an unruly and striking exhibit. Rachel Maclean’s artistic style also exists in a realm of the unusual as she examines femininity through multimedia videos of pastel-coloured heroines. Art can take any number of forms from murals on a wall to digital art on a screen, it is a varied medium.
The Law is a rigid set of rules that government establish to maintain a degree of order in society. There is little room for interpretation as these rules organise society. Yet, the law can be sometimes contested and challenged. While the structure of laws is lengthily laid out; there are times when these mandates become the subject of protest. Often in these scenarios art is used by demonstrators to communicate their disapproval. For instance, the Mandatory Vaccination rules were overturned recently, several artists had contributed pieces that display Vaccinationism and this played a small role in the change of policy. Art has also been used historically to boost public morale, as witnessed through the “We can do it!” poster designed by J Howard Miller. The poster was created during World War 2 to encourage morale among female workers; it has become one of the most iconic posters in history.
Laws also play a key part in an artist’s business approach to marketing and selling their pieces. Property laws especially relating to forgery and copyright are imperative for an artist to understand. Some artists create pieces that pay homage to a previous work or indeed replicate a movie poster or recognizable piece of pop culture. Intellectual property automatically belongs to the artist upon creating an original piece of artwork however if they choose to mimic artwork by someone else then this can potentially affect copyright. Movie posters are considered as intellectual property belonging to the studio who made the movie. In some cases, the studio who made the film must express permission for the poster to be satirized or adapted. However, in many cases a studio does not need to express permission for a poster to be used if no monetary gain is achieved from the piece. Artists are often self-employed and therefore would need to be knowledgeable about the law and business to successfully distribute their work. These laws fall under the cultural property act which protects and regulates ownership of items such as Artwork and Historical artefacts.
Law and Art uniting does not deduct from the integrity of either concept, it instead allows each side to expand their comprehension. At Lawyers Arts Club we recently held an event surrounding the Ask for Angela initiative which addressed the rise of Spiking at clubs and bars. The artwork was accompanied by a panel of professionals who were able to disclose further details on the matter. The Ask for Angela initiative was established to make women feel safer in venues. By asking at the bar for Angela it alerts the bar server that something is not right- be it an uncomfortable situation or an unsuccessful date. Several artworks surrounding assault have been created in response to the Me-Too movement, prompting further investigations and understanding into reports of sexual assault. Some of artworks associated to this movement are cathartic and emotional recollections of trauma. The demonstrations gathered press attention particularly from US attorney Gloria Allred who was able to offer legal representation.
The role of a Lawyer is to defend a client with the hope of winning a legal case. This is done practically and with factual based evidence. However, a degree of creativity goes into structuring the delivery of the defence. A level of emotional understanding is considered when reviewing the case, yet the Lawyer remains impartial. Artist’s emotions drive their artwork and motivation, whether angry or passionate- the artist uses these feelings to create an exceptional artwork. When the Arts and the Law synthesize, they can hold candid discussions relating to current world affairs. Rooted in an understanding of the law, the artist is able to create a piece of artwork that is knowledgeable and socially aware.
As an organisation that creates Law based artwork, we are fascinated by the outcomes of incorporating these values into conversation. The artwork created and displayed at several of our successful events is representative of the achievements that this unique partnership can produce. Most recently the Vaccinationism movement has been a key theme to explore. The enforcement of mandatory vaccinations poses issues of morality and ethical rights, so the artwork produced by our artists conveyed these concerns.
Oxymoron’s are commonly used in literature for dramatic effect as the two juxtaposing words create confusion in the reader. Phrases like bittersweet or deafening silence, are examples of Oxymoron and illustrate the way in which an author might play around with word structure to provoke a tense feeling in the reader. Not only is the term literary based it has also been used literally in a number of visual formats. Most often this form of irony is painted humorously and with noticeable contradiction.
Overall, an Oxymoron has been used in many literary works of fiction but is not solely a function that relates only to writing. An Oxymoron can be any relationship of two juxtaposing words or concepts. When addressing the union of Law and the Arts; it is important to acknowledge the contradiction. Not only can either profession compliment each other when producing content, it contextualizes meanings and metaphors in the art. Lawyers Arts Club celebrates this synthesis throughout our exhibits, discussions, articles and artwork.
Article by Dana Archer.