The Achievements and Limitations of Visual Artwork When Dealing with Concepts of Human Suffering As a Way of Seeking Social Justice.

Contemporary artistic freedom, and its public accessibility via the internet and other media, has enabled many conceptual artists to explore human suffering as the concept of their art. Moreover, these artists are no longer confined to fine arts as their media. Instead, they utilize a wide range of techniques, creating a diversity of visual expressions on the subject. These favorable conditions created a context for artist and sociologist Dr. Nina Dimitriadou Yassin to address human suffering in her artwork and research.

Dr. Yassin’s practice-based experience and role in presenting the human condition on a global stage have revealed significant challenges and raised questions about the involvement of visual artists in advocating for social justice. In looking at the public’s overall ability to interpret contemporary visual art, as this experience is typically accessible to “privileged audiences” (Sifakakis, 2007), she will address the limitations of an artist's access to knowledge, data and history of their subject while creating. For instance, an artist’s understanding and interpretation may be restricted to their point-of-view and personal experience, their limited access to national security documentation, reliance on questionable historical narratives shaped by a single perspective, or simple media propaganda. If hired to create a work for an organization’s political agenda, artists may be led to sensationalism instead of working towards social justice.