Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide

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"Art in the age of rising authoritarianism is a campaign against the false consciousness authoritarians wish to subject us to. Artists engaged in this culture work are motivated to hold space for democracy but making this art is also part of the artists' own survival strategy."

The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide is a collage. The book combines the text of a Polish human rights activist with the artwork of seven collage artists to create a space in which we can think about the rise of authoritarianism and how to navigate the troubling, difficult times in which we find ourselves. Organized as a series of lists, the book illustrates what to expect under authoritarianism and offers rules for surviving authoritarian regimes and engaging their supporters. The introduction traces how the text came into existence and how the artists came together to make collage about it. Ric Kasini Kadour shares historical examples of artists responding to authoritarianism; John Heartfield's anti-fascist collage and a 1979 exhibition in East Germany that was described as a "victory over false consciousness." The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide is a testament to the role art can play in our communities.

"Authoritarianism never lasts and its tenure and the recovery from it depends on our ability to remember what happened before and to return to the work of building a healthy society."

Details:
Text by Martin Mycielski
Introduction by Ric Kasini Kadour
Artwork by Heather Wright, Lori Petchers, Olivia Baldacci, Suzanne Gore, Andrea Lee, Heather Wishik, and Jennifer R Myhre.
2025 | 100 pages | 9"x6" | ISBN 978-1-927587-74-4

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