”Let’s keep politics out of this.”
Published: February 2026
“I’ve never been here to talk about politics. I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of.”
This was Sydney Sweeney’s latest response in an interview with Cosmopolitan about the “MAGA Barbie” label given to her by netizens following her viral American Eagle campaign, which continues to spark heated debates about her political views.
But isn’t art always political?
Last Sunday, numerous artists attending the Grammys used their platform as an opportunity to speak out against ICE, just as they had advocated for an end to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza the year prior.
Then, this Sunday, Bad Bunny took the stage at the Super Bowl — the most-watched event in the United States — to celebrate the Americas, love, and his motherland, Puerto Rico.
As expected, the announcement of this year’s halftime show performer caused a wave of anger among patriotic Americans who refused to watch a show in a language they do not understand.
This reaction does not come as a surprise, especially not to Mexican poet and activist César A. Cruz, who believes that “art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
And it always has.
Being an artist isn’t just about taking on new challenges or performing better than the average person. It is about doing the same thing you do every day and finding a new perspective from which to approach it. It is about redefining rules, questioning normality, and accepting rejection.
communicating through art
In 2003, Banksy’s Love Is in the Air referenced historical images of peaceful anti–Vietnam War demonstrations from the 1960s, juxtaposing weapons of death with symbols of love, peace, and beauty, such as a bouquet of flowers.
In 2015, Misty Copeland became the first Black woman to be named a principal dancer at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre.
In 2016, the British series Black Mirror opened its third season with “Nosedive,” an episode depicting a society governed by a social credit system in which popularity determines privilege, questioning whether self-expression in a conformist world is worth the risk of isolation.
In 2022, Kendrick Lamar returned to the spotlight at Glastonbury after a five-year hiatus, wearing a bleeding, Tiffany & Co. diamond-encrusted “Crown of Thorns,” drawing a parallel between himself and Jesus Christ — all while rapping about not being a savior and rejecting the idea that he should be worshipped as one. Moreover, he ended his performance by repeating the phrase: “Godspeed for women’s rights,” a reference to the USA’s Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
And now, in 2026, Bad Bunny has reminded the world of the textbook definition of “America”: a continent made up of 35 nations.
Is art political?
From street artists to dancers, TV series to fashion and live stages, artistry is about daring, introspection, and criticism.
So the question isn’t whether art is political, but whether we can ever strip politics from art.
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