Has woke-culture killed the spirit of art?

Dean Kissick isn’t afraid to call it like he sees it—and what he sees is a contemporary art world choking on its own moral posturing. A sharp, often controversial cultural critic, Kissick has built a reputation on tearing into what he calls the “woke takeover” of major art institutions. For him, galleries and biennials have become less about pushing boundaries and more about checking ideological boxes. The art? Often forgettable. The politics? Loud, safe, and self-congratulatory.

Nowhere does he make this point more forcefully than in his essay The Painted Protest (Harper’s Magazine), where he tears in two the 2022 Venice Biennale. What once was a showcase for daring, unpredictable work, Kissick claims, has turned into a bland parade of activist art—formulaic pieces that shout their politics but say little else. Beauty, mystery, formal innovation? Pushed aside for the sake of slogans.

Whether you see him as a much-needed provocateur or just another contrarian, one thing’s clear: Dean Kissick is asking the uncomfortable questions the art world would rather avoid. 

And that alone makes him the perfect guest for the unforgettable Art Matters lunchtime discussion with Kendell Geers.