The Power of Art as Resistance

The Transformative Power of Art

For centuries art has been used by many to resist injustice, help with healing and preserve the culture of those who are oppressed and marginalized. Whenever people cannot use ordinary pathways to protest peacefully, art transforms into a means to uphold their identity, go against the oppressor, and preserve proof of wrongdoing that might be kept hidden. Through music, visual art, performance or storytelling, artists make it possible for the silenced to speak out, for the hidden to be seen, and for the oppressed to reclaim the narrative.

Art helps by showing what is happening and what could still be possible in the areas that are suffering from occupation, colonization or discrimination. It works to reflect current issues and also lead us towards new ideas. It helps preserve culture, even when it is being erased and urges global understanding and togetherness. Across different regions and throughout history—from the United States during slavery to contemporary Palestine and Kashmir—art has continually been a powerful force for resistance and survival, connecting diverse struggles over time and place.

Art as Resistance: Historical Perspective

Art as expression is not just a modern-day phenomenon. Even as far back as slavery in the United States, excluded groups used art to oppose oppression. Enslaved people passed their stories down orally and arranged their escapes through community knowledge. Spiritual songs such as “Wade in the Water,” “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” and “Go Down Moses” weren’t just about religion; they served as secret messages. The message of these songs was a map with ways to escape, warnings, and ideas for resistance.

Visual art also played a major role. Hidden under colorful designs, quilts known as Code Quilts gave clues to communicate directions or safe hiding places for those escaping slavery. These forms of expression helped resist the erasure of identity imposed by slavery and started a tradition of using art as both a tool for opposition and survival.

Modern Parallels in Palestine

Creative arts also play a key role in cultural preservation and resistance in Palestine. Traditional Palestinian embroidery, called Tatreez, has seen many changes. At first, Tatreez included elaborate designs that reflected women’s place in the community and where they lived in Palestine. After the 1948 Nakba, Tatreez took on new meaning as a source of strength for women and their families. As Palestinians lost their homes and history was rewritten, they turned to Tatreez as a way to remember their homeland.

During the First Intifada, when Israel banned any symbols that represented Palestine, people used embroidered clothing to cleverly integrate these symbols as a form of resistance. Some even used it to create escape routes for protestors to evade the army.

Today, Tatreez represents a defiant memory of Palestinian heritage, visible in the way people dress and express themselves.

This idea of lived resistance is directly expressed through music in Palestine. For example, artist Shabjdeed’s straightforward hip-hop narrates the day-to-day struggles under occupation. Similarly, Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna’s song “Olive Branch” blends grief with a heartfelt message of peace and resilience. This spirit of resistance through music isn’t limited to Palestinian artists alone. Musicians known worldwide, such as Macklemore, have also taken part in this movement. His song “Hind’s Hall” denounces genocide and honors the perseverance of those who have endured it, demonstrating how resistance art can cross borders and bring together people from different backgrounds.

Art in Kashmir: Expression Under Siege

In Kashmir, art is being utilized effectively to encourage resistance, preserve traditions, and strengthen morale. Despite the hardships caused by the occupation and human rights violations in Kashmir, art persists.

Censorship and the Politics of Silencing

The strict hold of the Indian government over media and expression in Kashmir shows that it recognizes the power of art to inspire, mobilize, and unite large groups. Those in the fields of political cartoons, poetry, and music are faced with constant threats and are often censored. Kashmiri cartoonists have shared that they have received threats and are often afraid to draw anything that might provoke backlash. The government does not interact with artists and instead works to silence them, revealing that art is seen as a threat to the state’s version of reality.

Art is frequently targeted because expression is understood to hold influence and defy control. With protests penalized and media restricted, Kashmiris rely on art as a powerful opportunity to express dissent and to keep their vision of freedom alive.

Music as Protest: MC Kash and the Rise of Resistance Hip-Hop

Any discourse about art in Kashmir must involve MC Kash, a pioneering artist who helped create the region’s underground hip-hop culture. In 2010, his first big hit, “I Protest”, poured out his emotion over the many civilians killed during the unrest. The track gained widespread popularity and was used at protests and shared many times on the internet.

“Better Than Normal” goes beyond listing difficulties and boldly testifies to them. They hold onto the identities of those who suffered, remind people of the challenges created by curfews and checkpoints and offer an alternative version to officially supported silence. As he gained a larger following, the state put even greater efforts into silencing him. Even after the Indian government outlawed his songs, his music continued to leave a lasting impact on people, proving that music can still stir emotions and unify listeners even when its artist is exiled.

Visual Arts and New Initiatives

Apart from music, Kashmiris are using visual arts to express their pain, resilience, and hopes. In Palestine, young people are increasingly turning to graffiti, street art, and painting to share their views and explore identity. These street art projects allow individuals to express themselves and stand in solidarity, turning city walls into visible symbols of resistance.

Artists have begun organizing small exhibitions and pop-up galleries to avoid government attention. In these spaces, they create work that tells alternative stories, teaches overlooked histories, and directly challenges those in power. Under such conditions, both the creation and display of art become powerful acts of protest.

Cinema and Auteur’s Gaze: Saffron Kingdom

In Kashmir, where censorship stifles truth and repression shapes everyday life, independent cinema has emerged as one of the most vital forms of resistance. While Bollywood films are allowed to romanticize Kashmir, turning its pain into picturesque fiction, stories from within—rooted in grief, memory, and resistance—are silenced or banned.

Arfat Sheikh’s upcoming film Saffron Kingdom pushes back against that erasure. Inspired by the Gawkadal massacre and the generational trauma that followed, it offers a raw, unfiltered counter-narrative. Through themes of identity, occupation, and survival, the film asserts the right to tell one’s own story.

Despite systemic censorship and the challenges of exile, Saffron Kingdom carves a path forward—proving that even from afar, Kashmiri stories can be told with clarity, courage, and care. With a multicultural international crew and a deeply personal lens, it marks a shift in how cinema can confront oppression—and preserve truth.

Art as Memory, Protest, and Possibility

Whether it’s spiritual songs from African Americans, beautiful Tatreez from Palestinians, or groundbreaking cinema in Kashmir, art is a way to resist being forgotten, displaced or attacked by oppressors. With every brush or pen or recording, artists must work against those who silence them and in favor of the right to recollect, mourn and hope.

Kashmiri art has turned into a battle over culture as artists have become critical in teaching and questioning the past. They record events that fade, say what cannot be said, and imagine the future. They work to stand up to the present and also to the ways those in power work to make them invisible. Repression by the state keeps happening but so does art. This resilience shows both its power and its will to live, letting us read the depth of human creativity.