Vol 5 No 2 | Summer 2024

Of course, anyone with the internet has easy access to work that is deliberate political commentary, which might specifically name drop Breonna Taylor, Gaza, trans kids, the U.S./Mexico border, polar ice caps, mass shootings, the 1%, or Joe Biden. People are upset and very vocal about these topics and so much more. Making art is a cathartic way to navigate one’s feelings, and sharing it spreads information and attitudes to the masses. Protest art is and always has been at the forefront of movements.

But is it possible to make art that is actually devoid of politics or social commentary? Something made in an absolute vacuum?

There’s really no such thing as a world without context. Any photo of kittens made today was created by a photographer who was at least aware of and probably actively involved with social media, so it’s therefore different from a photo of kittens created in 1971. Those photographers likely have very different relationships with their art. And that’s just kittens. Can you imagine how art from 2024 and 1971 would differ if it depicted a single mother or cigarettes or immigrants or police?

Even simple landscapes have changed over time because the actual landscape has literally changed over time, and the natural world itself has become deeply politicized.

From where I’m standing, all creative work is, whether overtly or covertly, a product of its time and is inherently informed by current events and the political climate of the day. As you thumb through these 18 new, exciting works, consider how they fit into the greater world they were created in. And remember, in keeping with the spirit of Bait/Switch, you’re entitled to your own reaction, so feel free to agree or disagree.

Moments of clarity are interesting, aren’t they? They often feel precious and beautiful, even when whatever has been uncovered is hard to face. We spend so much time moving through our days, engaged in activities that may be difficult, joyful, boring, or some combination thereof. But how often do we get a chance to really take a good look at how things around us are unfolding?

Sometimes these moments seem to come from nowhere, when, as if randomly struck by lightning, we suddenly just see things from a different angle. But often, moments of clarity come during some sort of crisis that puts everything into perspective in a particular way.

Lately, the Bait/Switch team has been working to clarify some things within this project. One question, which frankly has plagued us for years, is how best to explain it to other people. But also, as each of our individual lives shift and change, how can we continue to make this work? All of these questions are worth sitting with, because of the answer to another question: Why is this project important?

To me, Bait/Switch is important because it is an example of a project that celebrates creative genius as a shared enterprise. Each artwork is as unique and interesting as the person who made it, but they are all part of a larger whole. Beholding the entire corpus of this project, including the space in between the works, is the most interesting thing about it. In an age defined by a cult of individualism which often seems more geared towards separation than togetherness, that feels like a breath of fresh air. How can we bring this spirit of honoring each other, and our process, without losing sight of our place within the bigger picture, to the world at large?

The works in this issue, individually and as a group, grapple with the idea of clarifying. Themes emerge of trying to understand our place in the world and finding meaning in past trauma and global events. Seeing environmental travesties for what they are, and recognizing the invisible structures that uphold the status quo and breaking them down.

In the spirit of clarification, we have also made a change to how we organize things. Since this project started in 2018, we have had three branches (called Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow), which within themselves each had two branches. Since this is unnecessarily confusing, we have switched our format to six branches, and changed our color scheme (to Green, Blue, Violet, Red, Orange and Yellow). Hopefully this will make things easier to understand.

Map of Works in This Issue

Bait/Switch is an interdisciplinary exquisite corpse project. Every work is a creative response to a piece made by another artist. The project is divided into six branches: green, blue, violet, red, orange and yellow. This map/diagram shows how the works in this issue fit together, and what came before. You can see the entire corpus on our maps page.