During the 1970s there was a poet named Tuli Kuferberg who for a time wasone
of the most visible members of the New York counter-culture. Like his contemporary
Alan Ginsberg, Kupferberg was a beat poet. He had a utopian vision and opposed
everything in conventional culture and society. He called himself an anarchist,
was a vocal opponent of US foreign policy, and a radical proponent of free
speech. But his heart was more in poetry not radical politics. Like Ginsberg
he was a pacifist at heart and most opposed to any restraint—political or cultural—on
the human spirit. Though he was neither a singer nor musician, he is probably
best known as a founder of the satirical rock band, the Fugs, and the author
of a number of songs including “Morning,Morning,” made famous by Richie Havens.
Time passed, the Vietnam war and the counter culture era ended, and so did
radical visions of a wholesale transformation of society. Like so many counter-culture
figures of the time, Kupferberg drifted away from the limelight. Now in his
mid-80s and ailing, he never stopped writing and never really changed his fundamental
views on society or culture. But when he was interviewed a few years ago about
the counter culture and how his own views evolved, he did say that he learned
not to believe in “big Utopias” which attempt to change everything about government,
people and society. Instead, he believed in “little Utopias,” where the act
of an artist, writer or any individual could alter at least a part of the way
we perceive our lives or live them.
The idea of a “little” or personal vision of Utopia describes the upcoming
EUtopia exhibit scheduled for Luxemburg later this summer. The role of the
artist is to express a vision and that vision can bridge the gap between the
artist’s sense of the true, the good, the ideal, and our reality. Even when
a work of art is profoundly disturbing—think of Picasso’s Guernica—the
purpose is often to portray the dissonance between the artist’s vision of the
ideal and the grim reality. An artist can do many things—delight, shock, provoke,
stimulate. But in every case, if an artist is successful, he or she will make
the viewer see reality from a different perspective. Most artists have no political
power. But the power to change the viewer’s perspective is real. An artist
can have a vision of how life should be and more important what is incongruous
in life.
The European Union was established in a spirit of idealism, perhaps not utopian
idealism, but idealism nonetheless. The unified Europe was established with
a sense that all Europeans could share in the wealth of the Continent, as well
as share a common cultural heritage. The united Europe has created great wealth.
And it has fostered a younger generation who look beyond their national borders
to see the Continent and world as their horizon. Although national cultures
will stay in place and continue to define individuals, the younger citizens
of Europe will have little comprehension of the nationalism that tore their
homeland apart only a generation ago.
So, there is wealth, but there is incongruity amidst this success. Western
Europe and the US have created the ideal conditions for creative work—wealth,
education and leisure time. But there is still substantial poverty in the midst
of that wealth. Most of us who have time to appreciate art may never see the
poverty unless we look for it. And that is where the artist’s role comes into
play. The artist makes us understand the incongruities and the failings. Look
at the artworks submitted for EUtopia. They can disturb or inspire.
In modern times, there have been many schemes for creating Utopias. Some of
them were pernicious, like National Socialism, and some were simply unrealistic,
like the notion of a Woodstock Nation. Not only did all of these schemes fail
to create a better world, but they often did real harm and left disillusionment
in their wake. But this is not the time to loose faith in idealistic visions,
even as the economy is threatened and the survival of the Eurozone has been
questioned. Artists should embrace the notion of a “little Utopia,” where creativity
and imagination can move the world to see and act in an entirely new way.
Timothy McKenna
