Representation in punk aesthetic agrees with the idea of representing the world as is through art.
While the use of commentary through art is definitely performed, the main focus is to display the world as is, with nothing covering up the injustices that the punks see in society. For example, PussyRiot would protest in public and film it, to put their videos online either as a method of protest or as a way to represent their distaste for societal practices. In PussyRiot's Police State, they edit their video to reflect and metaphorically express the injustices of both government and society. The meaning that they create in this video is the destruction of self and restriction of self, the police are made to be the enemy as they are the ones restraining others, while many children are cast to play what appears to be the victims, while an audience watching these actions occur does nothing in response.
Even protests from the past included punk ideology, represented through their flyers.
These flyers represented very explicitly the disgust with electing President Regan.This concert flyer contains various pictures which represent symbols of the punk aesthetic. As the aesthetic is anti-establishment, the photo features a man holding a gun, dressed in typical work attire with an enlarged dollar sign behind him and a small Nazi insignia. The collection of these photos represent what the punks believed Regan represented: a complacent man who would force the United States to go to war, and follow strict economic policy. This advertisement calls for a meeting of peoples who didn't agree with the policies represented on this ad, which was meant to represent the current political climate of the United States. This represents visual culture because through these methods of representation, video, and advertisement, punk aesthetic is able to show what their attitudes are and what they disagree with.
