ISA ROUNDTABLE MANIFESTO

By Sergej Jakovlev

Message of Peace and Harmony through Art

 

We are living in the beginning of the twenty-first century. The twentieth century was a century of bloody revolutions and wars; it was a century of Hitler and Stalin. But the twentieth century was also a century of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. People win in the war of evil against humanity. The future depends on us who live now.

 

Life is something greater than we sometimes passively agree to. The world and the human essential is a great and boundless realm. People are tired of politics and business only. Art is able now to restore a wholeness and fullness to human life. It is a role of art to support a spiritual dimension of human life, to open new horizons of human meanings. Art now and always is a way to peaceful understanding between people and nations; art provides a deep human quest for peace, for individual and world harmony. Art should give us a real feeling for life in the contemporary decisive time. Art is humanism.

 

The arts now stand in very difficult position. Artistic creations are now considered to be "no different from conventional goods and services; the powerful cultural importance of works of the human imagination is denied or ignored (www.incd.net/letter/letter.htm) ". As a result of such situation public interest in art is very low, and the lives of individual artists are hardly possible. A mass culture is mostly only able to exist in the contemporary business world of a mass trade. But, artists are aware of the great importance of art, and it is our task to stand against the isolation and elimination of art. This evil deprives people and whole nations of the human right for a spiritual independence.

 

Vincent van Gogh said: "I tell you, the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people". It is true that Art is for the people, for the world, for life, art truly unites all of us by the best of human heart and soul. Artists are standing up for a human spiritual independence with their hands, with their hearts, and with their lives. It is a standing not against the world; it is a standing for the world, for the peace and world harmony.

 

We have created the International Society of Artists (ISA). Herein we have formulated goals and strategies that have arisen out of our standing. The main task is to restore a prestige of Art all over the world. In this way public interest in art will be obtained for the benefit of all people. Art will become recognized as being an important part of human life, and then artists will not be slaves any more. We hope for people's understanding and support. Public support is a huge power. As an example: at that time, when India was struggling against British colonial slavery, the British stopped selling salt to India. Salt is vital element. And then Mahatma Gandhi said to the people: go to the ocean beach, make big fires and boil down salt from the ocean water directly. Art is a vital element too, and our task is not only to work in art, but also to make art widely accessible to people (Project Art Direct).

 

In the process of ISA development, we have deeply understood the contemporary role of art. Besides advocating for art, we are happy to continue the best endeavors of Twentieth century. Now the role of art is close to ideas of Martin Luther King Jr., who advocated for peaceful, nonviolence and harmonic way of humanity. We are proud to be united with New York Metropolitan Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolence (MLK). We are happy that we are a part of the International Artists for Peace and World Harmony Organizing Committee created by MLK, and that together with MKL we have represented in the United Nations the ideas concerning role of art in building bridges of understanding between people and nations.

 

The idea expressed by Kofi Annan that – "Art opens new doors for learning, understanding, and peace among people and nations" – receives interest and support over the entire world. This idea is very similar to the prophesy of Fyodor Dostoyevsky in which he stated: "Beauty will save the world". Mahatma Gandhi has written on the wall of his house: “I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.” Martin Luther King has said: "If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought, and acted, inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony.", and: "I found in the nonviolent resistance philosophy of Gandhi... the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom."

 

The future of humanity is a peaceful way, of freedom and of spiritual independence. Different nations and cultures can enrich each other whilst maintaining their individual identities. Art is the universal sphere of human activity where such a way is provided. Each man and woman, each national culture and each religion has a deep inner beauty. The era of the New Renaissance is coming!

 

MLK and ISA in one moment has become one unit based on the above ideas. Our activity is going to be wider. We stress themes that unite and identify a common purpose that bring many people and organizations together. But, our successful beginnings are developing slower than we could wish. Of course, our efforts are aggravated by the world economical crisis which harms the arts first, as a sphere situated outside of a mass trade. We have no right to surrender in this situation. We hope for tireless and enthusiastic people, and we remember the words of Edmund Burke: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".

 

Best wishes to you,

 

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