How Cancel Culture Made Us Forget the Art of Interpretation

Nina Power | ArtReview | 30th July 2020

Is ‘cancel culture’ a means of achieving social justice or just mob intimidation? ‘Cancelling’ can be framed as a form of censorship, based on a notion of the self “in need of permanent protection.” It deprives us of different perspectives, including art that demonstrates “the absurdity of the status quo”. Fair criticisms. The push back, of course, is that cancellation is sometimes the only tool available for needed social change.