The YES! Association

The founding work of the YES! Association was an activist call for accountability and increased diversity in Swedish public art.[1] Since the 2005 work “Press Conference /Performance”, the YES! Association has used a variety of platforms such as radio interviews, panels, and articles to argue that contemporary art must do a better job of representing equity seeking communities.[9] In particular, the YES! Association has used the exploration of notions of privilege and oppression to illustrate divides in the art world.[9]

The YES! Association’s artwork has repeatedly come back to investigations of intersectional modes of feminist art. In particular, the collective has focused on the benefits and drawbacks of knowledge that is based on categories.[10] Through their work, the YES! Association has challenged the utility of binaries, making a feminist argument for a more intersectional understanding of identity. Their work rarely looks at ‘women’ as an isolated category, opting instead to include considerations such a class, race, and sexuality, as well.[10]

Political theorist Hannah Arendt has been cited as both a theme and inspiration in the work of the YES! Association. A Jewish-American thinker, Arendt was born in Germany and fled Europe during the Second World War. Her work dealt largely with systems of power, particularly political hierarchies such as totalitarianism. A noted woman theorist in a field dominated by men, Arendt is often held up as an example of feminist excellence (though she herself may not have used the label “feminist”). The YES! Association has created works that drew on Arendt’s commitment to the spread of ideas and conversation. The collective has also collaborated with associations devoted to the memory of Arendt, such as The Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College.[11]

The works of the YES! Association have taken a variety of forms but commonly include aspects of performance and dialogue.[1]

For the piece, members of the YES! Association put forward a document entitled the “Equal Opportunities Agreement”. The document aimed to legally bind Swedish public art institutions to uphold quotas to improve diversity. The performance was executed in the Dunker Culture House.[1]

The work used a video and teach-in discussion to consider diversity in art institutions. The work took place at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art of Brooklyn Museum.[10]

“SMOKING AREA” paid tribute to political theorist Hannah Arendt. The work used a floor painting made with yellow paint to create a designated space where viewers/ participants could come, smoke, and discuss ideas. The floor painting aimed to further the aims of Arendt, whose work argued for the power of friendship and dialogue. The work was hosted by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College.[11]

This work operated as a discussion with Lee H. Jones. Using an activist framework, the discussion centered around the interplay of institutions and labour. The work was funded by IASPIS.[8]

This was the first exhibition that the YES! Association participated in. The Dunker Culture House served as the host institution. The YES! Association performed their work “Press Conference /Performance”.[1]

The exhibition operated as a symposium held over the course of a weekend at the Lilith Performance Studio in Malmo, Sweden. Components included lectures, film screenings, performances, and workshops. Thematically, the exhibition focused on the Swedish art movement and persisting equity concerns.[9]

The exhibition was hosted by the Power Plant in Toronto, Canada. The work was commissioned in conjunction with the 2015 Pan Am games. It considered the three fields of art, sport, and sex work. Through the use of bus rides, the exhibition used urban space to comment on social norms.[12]