STATES OF PLAY

Like the young British artists of 30 years ago, today's crop of UK creatives are finding new ways to express dissent in a country where the vibes are off, and the future is uncertain

ELISHA TAWE

“What’s the price of England now? With Salford falling apart” - words belted through my AirPods by Lancastrian musician and performance artist Blackhaine, from the title track of his 2021 EP And Salford Falls Apart. I’ve never set foot in Salford. Honestly, I’ve never been further north than Birmingham, but I feel him. The rage and confusion in his voice is eerily familiar, almost comforting - a reminder that I am not the only one who knows the vibes in England are off. Across the country in the late 1980s, the Young British Artists (YBAs) were linked by their capacity to provoke and interrogate a world on the cusp of a new millennium, various technological paradigm shifts and the internet. The group’s oeuvre includes Tracey Emin’s dishevelled “My Bed” (1998),…

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Dazed & Confused (Digital) - 1 Issue, Summer 2023

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