Artwashing describes the use of art and artists in a positive way to distract from or legitimize negative actions by an individual, organization, country, or government—especially in reference to
gentrification
Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
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Etymology
With a structure similar to terms such as
greenwashing
Greenwashing (a compound word modeled on "whitewash"), also called "green sheen", is a form of advertising or marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization's products, aims ...
purplewashing
Purplewashing is a compound word modeled on the term ''whitewash''. The prefix "purple" is associated with feminism while the verb "wash" refers to the co-opting strategies that use minority rights to maintain or enhance structural forms of disc ...
, it is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordswhitewashing". The term was coined in the 2017 protests against gentrification in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.