Can You Separate the Art from the Artist?

Tori Bohling

Famous musicians are admired by many and often become role models or idols for their fans. Admiration for a celebrity musician can motivate individuals to emulate similar lifestyles and attitudes. Additionally, to maintain success in the industry, musicians need their fans. The accessibility and obsession of a celebrity generate a supportive fanbase that allows a musician to succeed in their career. These days, their success is tenuous and can be impacted in a positively or negatively, depending on the public’s current opinion of the musician. Specifically, when a popular musician commits an unfavorable action and is perceived to be behaving badly, fans question if it is wrong to continue to like their music. With this in mind, is it possible to separate the art from the artist, or should the musician become another casualty of “cancel culture?” [1]

 Many musicians become known as a personality as well as an artist as their recognition and a fanbase increase. As they become commercially and financially successful their persona and popularity grow exponentially. In the installation, ­­­­­­­Can You Separate the Art from the Artist?, the musicians identified in each poster are recognized for their fame, infamy, and success throughout their careers. However, what might not immediately be recognized is their controversial behavior. Highlighting the musician while juxtaposing the persona with their actions, presents an opportunity for fans to create accountability.

Roland Barthes introduced the phrase, “separating the art from the artist,” in his essay, Death of an Author [2]. This series of posters confront the viewer and asks the perplexing question of whether a famous individual should be admired or condemned for their actions, and how it relates to the validity of one’s ethics. Idolization and hero worship thrive off public opinion. However, when public opinion shifts drastically due to a musician’s actions, it is up to the fans to determine how far is too far, if the unfavorable action can be forgiven, and finally, if it’s even possible to separate the art from the artist.

[1] Chiou, Ricco. “We Need a Deeper Understanding About Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Moral Righteousness in an Era of Online Vigilantism and Cancel Culture.” AJOB Neuroscience. November 16, 2020. Accessed September 16, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/21507740.2020.1830872

[2] Roland Barthes. “Death of an Author.” Mythologies: Roland Barthes. 1972. Accessed September 16, 2021. https://sites.tufts.edu/english292b/files/2012/01/Barthes-The-Death-of-the-Author.pdf