Introduction

This question was posed to visitors of Tania Bruguera’s Museum of Arte Útil exhibit at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Netherlands in 2014. Roughly translated into English as “Useful Art,” the term arte útil was coined by Bruguera in 2003 to describe art that employs imagination, creativity, and tactics to change how we act in society. ¹ With the term, Bruguera seeks to distinguish and elevate the creation of artworks that are useful and beneficial to our communities. Through installation and performance pieces, Bruguera’s activist art has centered around themes of power and control, questioning and denouncing Cuban political structures and historical memory, as well as creating projects to support communities, such as Immigrant Movement International. ² Her practice often involves viewer participation, challenging audiences to reconsider and take concrete action against the visible and invisible means of governmental and institutional oppression.