Richard Hamilton, The citizen 1981–3. Tate. © The estate of Richard Hamilton.
View artworks that pay tribute to campaigners for citizenship and civil rights
Many of the works in this room were made as interventions in political debates. They often draw attention to people who have campaigned for citizenship and civil rights. In several cases, the choice of materials also has political associations.
The display includes artists from a range of countries. They all produce work in response to specific political circumstances. Some works were made as an immediate response to events. Others look back to the struggles of the past and their connection to the present.
The variety of approaches is also broad. There are works based on photographs or other media. Some artists use abstraction. While others employ more representational imagery, bearing direct witness to injustice. One of the recurring themes is the violence inflicted by the state against those who challenge it. This includes the brutal actions of police in response to protest, and the treatment of prisoners.
Tate Modern
Natalie Bell Building Level 2 West
Room 10
1 February 2022 – 3 November 2024
Free
Arahmaiani, Burning Country 1998–2020
Arahmaiani sees her performances as healing rituals that nurture connectivity between individuals, communities and nature. In this video, we see the artist performing protest poems in Indonesian. She wrote them in response to the violence against women she witnessed in Indonesia in 1998. This is a video of Arahmaiani’s performance that took place in the Tate Modern gallery on 21 November 2024. The performance was organised by Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational in partnership with Hyundai Motor.
A commitment to environmental issues runs throughout Arahmaiani’s work. The artist identifies as an ‘ecofeminist’ and often draws links between the plundering of nature for capitalist gains and the exploitation of women’s bodies. The connection between the extraction of the land and violence against bodies is visible in this sculpture, which refers to the islands of Indonesia. The archipelago has been made from matchsticks and above the sculpture hangs a dress, emptied out of a body.
Gallery label, March 2025
1/2
artworks in Citizens
Abdoulaye Konaté, Intolerance 1998
2/2
artworks in Citizens
Art in this room
Arahmaiani
Burning Country
1998–2020
Abdoulaye Konaté
Intolerance
1998