Cultural Criticism on Art, Power and Resistance
Pen vs Sword is an independent cultural magazine it explores how power operates through art, language, history, media and collective struggle. Our cultural criticism articles on how culture, art, power, politics & Media move between the present and the past, examining the ideas shaping society, movements and creative practices that shape how societies understand themselves and how those understandings are challenged.
Rather than treating culture as decoration or politics as abstraction, we approach both as lived experience. This magazine brings together long-form writing, visual culture and critical reflection to trace the forces that define our moment: inequality and resistance, memory and imagination, authority and dissent. What so often emerges is not a single position, but a field of inquiry, where questions are sharpened, histories revisited, and alternative futures briefly come into view.
EXPLORE PEN vs SWORD MAGAZINE
THEMES TO EXPLORE
Explore these five curated in-depth themes – from art and visual culture to collective resistance and the power of language. Visit our Art & Power, Language,Media & Truth, Resistance & Solidarity, Culture & Capital and Future Imaginaries collections to dive deeper into each field.
ART AND POWER
Art and Power articles explore how art engages with power – from political imagery and visual protest to movements that challenge authority, ideology and control. This section examines art not as decoration, but as a force that shapes perception, resistance and public life.
ART & POWER
VISUAL CULTURE, RESISTANCE, MEANING
LANGUAGE, MEDIA AND TRUTH
Language, Media and Truth – writing on how narratives are constructed, contested and weaponised. These articles examine journalism, propaganda, rhetoric and storytelling to ask who controls meaning and how language and media shape what societies accept as truth.
LANGUAGE, MEDIA & TRUTH
NARRATIVE, POWER AND THE MAKING OF REALITY
RESISTANCE AND SOLIDARITY
Resistance and Solidarity – articles on collective struggle, political movements and the histories of resistance that continue to inform the present. This section explores how solidarity is formed, sustained and renewed across generations and global contexts.
RESISTANCE & SOLIDARITY
COLLECTIVE STRUGGLE, MEMORY AND THE POLITICS OF ACTION
CULTURE AND CAPITAL
Culture and Capital – An ongoing examination of how economic systems shape culture, labour and everyday life. These articles trace the intersections of capitalism, class, ideology and resistance, revealing how power operates through markets, institutions and cultural norms.
CULTURE & CAPITAL
HOW POWER OPERATES THROUGH CULTURE
FUTURE IMAGINARIES
Future Imaginaries – Writing that treats the future as a contested political space. These articles explore climate futures, utopian and dystopian thought, technological change and cultural imagination and asks which futures are being shaped, restricted or fought for today.
FUTURE IMAGINARIES
POWER, POSSIBILITY AND THE POLITICS OF TOMORROW
MUSIC, SOUND & CULTURAL MEMORY
Music, Sound & Cultural Memory – A space for deep listening and sonic exploration, with radio sessions, curated mixes and critical reflections. From the Radio Guesthouse pandemic broadcasts to the re-OpenLab transmissions of Robert Miles and Mark Farina, to the Architextures dialogue between sound and visual culture, it’s a place to discover, listen, drift and return.
MUSIC, SOUND & CULTURAL MEMORY
LISTENING, ATMOSPHERE AND THE SHARED MEMORY OF SOUND
PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT
Propaganda Department – A selection of works from the Pen vs Sword, each carrying the magazine’s editorial spirit. Objects, prints and apparel come together to reflect ideas, culture and creativity in a space where concepts take shape and stories are lived in the physical world.
PROPAGANDA DEPARTMENT
THE PHYSICAL PUBLISHING ARM OF PEN VS SWORD MAGAZINE
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POWER, RESISTANCE & IMAGINATION ACROSS ART, HISTORY, MEDIA & POLITICS
Each section below examines power, resistance and imagination across art, history, media and politics. Through image rich long-form articles, visual culture and critical commentary you can explore how ideas shape the world and how the world pushes back.
These are the newest articles and features from Pen vs Sword Magazine. Our latest pieces explore climate, cultural movements, voices and ideas shaping history and the present moment.
LATEST MUSIC REVIEWS, MIXES AND FEATURES ON PEN VS SWORD MAGAZINE
