‘Look at the happy bear here!’ The use of artivism in Extinction Rebellion Sweden

The article describes and analyses how the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR) Sweden makes use of art as part of nonviolent direct actions, a form of action which often is referred to as artivism. The article is based on direct observations of actions, documented online chats, interviews with participants, and content analysis of films, photographs, and social media posts. The artivist actions were performed in Stockholm in 2020-2022. The interviews were made in the autumn 2022. The first part of the article is descriptive, presenting a series of artivist actions performed by the XR group. There is also a critical and historical discussion of politically engaged art and the use of art in activism. The second part of the article consists of a thematic analysis of the interview material. The article argues that artivism is important both as a means of communication and for the internal culture in the activist group. As a form of meaning-making, artistic creation challenges the ready-made framing of political issues. The artivist performance is a form of place-making, temporarily transforming the meaning of public space, setting the stage for a carnivalesque where climate activists can appear as Fossil Fuel Industry executives, openly revealing disinformation and Greenwashing campaigns. Artivist action constitutes a form of aesthetics of resistance, challenging hegemonic ideological representation. Many of the artivist actions performed by the XR group were satirical, where humour plays an important part. Humour is also important in other ways, to keep up the spirit and engagement of the activists, and to defuse possible tension with bystanders and representatives of law enforcement.