Rab-Rab Press - AGIT PUNK
In August 1980, the British post-punk band The Pop Group performed in Helsinki at a festival organized by Spartakiaadit, associated with the Communist Party of Finland.
The exhibition at Paja Gallery brings attention to this rare intersection of punk and the left, highlighting immediate, nonconformist frontal agitation as a new form of poetics.
In correspondence with The Pop Group's singer and songwriter Mark Stewart, before his sudden death, he proposed focusing on lyrics, which he considered the "practice" of The Pop Group. The title of their album performed at the Spartakiaadit festival speaks volumes about the urgency of their practice: "How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?"
Adapting The Pop Group's slogans, the exhibition suggests that the band's anti-war and anti-capitalist messages are as relevant today as they were in 1980 during NATO's militarization in Europe.
Through screenprinted posters and archival materials, Rab-Rab Press (including Lilou Angelrath, Sezgin Boynik, and Samu Elmeri Montonen in collaboration with Ott Kagovere and Jan Konsin) presents a teaser for Punk Research series' upcoming book, showcasing this unique history.