Art has never been content to sit quietly on walls or in concert halls. Throughout history, it has challenged, provoked, and demanded that societies see themselves more clearly and act more justly. In moments of upheaval and transformation, art has been the engine driving human imagination, moral reflection, and social evolution.
From Michelangelo and da Vinci in the Renaissance, celebrating human potential, to the revolutionary poetry, music, and visual art of the 20th century, art has been inseparable from societal change. As Pablo Picasso insisted, “The purpose of life is to find your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away.” Yet Picasso also understood art’s deeper task: “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
Painter and calligrapher Sadequain expressed this mission with piercing clarity: “People ask why I don’t paint flowers, butterflies and landscapes… I seek the truth, and I am after reality. What inspires me is a person who has gone hungry for hours and is struggling for survival… I am a painter of the expression of reality.” His art was not decoration; it was witness. He called himself a “speaker of truth,” refusing the comforts of elite tastes to reflect human struggle at its rawest.
From a political economy perspective, art is embedded in networks of power, wealth, and influence. Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital reminds us that what a society elevates as “high art” often reflects and reproduces social hierarchies. Art fairs and international biennales like Art Basel, the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and Frieze are arenas where culture, commerce, and global visibility collide. They are stages where ideas circulate, cultural diplomacy unfolds, and the politics of value are contested.
Every major arc of transformation, from Renaissance humanism to movements for civil rights and environmental justice, has been propelled by artists, audiences, and collectors daring to imagine better
Yet, as the global art world gains prestige and visibility, we must be careful not to equate visibility with value. Indigenous art, rural craftsmanship, and the creative expressions of marginalised communities often exist outside these glamorised spaces, but they are no less vital. Participatory and socially engaged art theories remind us that art’s power lies not in price tags or auction houses but in its capacity to generate social insight, empathy, and collective agency. As the artist Joseph Beuys famously proposed, “Everyone is an artist,” suggesting that society itself is a work of art shaped by collective creativity.
Today, as global audiences engage with art, from street festivals in Lagos to biennales across continents, there is a renewed recognition of art’s societal role. Art circulates ideas about justice, climate, identity, and belonging, compelling us to confront uncomfortable truths. But this era also raises a crucial question: are we still in the shadow of postmodernism, or have we entered what comes after it? Postmodernism deconstructed grand narratives and celebrated plurality, but contemporary crises like climate change, global inequality, and digital fragmentation demand something more: art that not only questions but constructs, art that not only critiques but proposes pathways towards shared futures.
Art today asks generations to think beyond inherited paradigms, comfort zones, and borders. It calls on us to bridge worlds of privilege and marginalisation, to engage imagination alongside ethics, and to act together in shaping societies that are equitable, resilient, and visionary. From Indigenous crafts to blockbuster biennales, from public murals to digital installations, art continues to challenge complacency, expand perception, and push humanity toward the possible.
History shows that societies evolve not solely through policy or economic restructuring, but through the ideas, visions, and emotions that art ignites. Every major arc of transformation, from Renaissance humanism to movements for civil rights and environmental justice, has been propelled by artists, audiences, and collectors daring to imagine better. As we navigate this unprecedented era of social, political, and cultural change, the imperative is clear: to listen, to feel, to question—and to build a society that values imagination, inclusivity, and the full spectrum of human expression.
Art is not a mirror. It is a compass. And right now, it is pointing us forward.