| Abstract [eng] |
This master’s thesis explores how contemporary Lithuanian artists plan and implement communication strategies when their works intentionally provoke strong public reactions. Although international research examines art as activism, protest and social dialogue, there is little systematic analysis of how individual artists manage communication, controversy and risk. The aim of the thesis is to develop an empirically grounded communication strategy model for provocative artworks in the Lithuanian context. The theoretical part defines the concept of provocative art, analyses audience and crisis-communication theories relevant to the arts field, and proposes an initial escalation model combining controversy amplification, dialogue, risk-management and crisis strategies. The empirical part applies an instrumental multiple-case study design and qualitative methods: document analysis of media coverage and social-media reactions, and semi-structured interviews with three artists – Martynas Gaubas, Danas Aleksa and Mykolas Sauka. Their cases (“Chuilo”, “Danas Aleksa” and “Liudytoja”) represent reactions levels from constructive debate to full crisis with vandalism and legal proceedings. The findings show that artists rarely use a single “pure” strategy. Instead, they combine controversy, dialogue and risk-management in shifting ways, while relying on different partners – activists, museums, municipalities – as visible communicators at various stages. The model is refined by adding de-escalation and reflection as a separate phase and by introducing additional indicators related to social-media dynamics and the artist’s personal safety. The thesis concludes with recommendations for artists, art institutions and artists’ unions on how to anticipate escalation levels, share communication roles and plan context-sensitive strategies when working with provocative art in Lithuania. |
