Cathrin Plunkett - Protesters at the Ballet

Artist Statement: At first glance this image shows rowdy protesters contrasted with a serene ballerina busker and depicts a competing and contested use of public space. Superficially it marks where two separate realms with different activities and desired outcomes collide, with police supervising the point at which they intersect. However, on reflection it is also true that protest can be art, and that various artforms can be protest. Art has a long history of functioning as a subversive or disruptive force, so these are not such incompatible worlds.