In late-modern society, art is still a distinct field of human activity, as it developed in the course of the Industrial Revolution along with the diversifying division of labour. Whereas in mass society art could rely on the power of the audience or the support of collective institutions or political parties, today the artist is in the same situation as other precarized industries – like journalists or educators, he or she is undergoing a massive deprofessionalization (expressed in the tabloidization of theatre and media). Artists are therefore seeking the attention and support of the state, which should protect their professional status and recognise their activity as a specific public service. But do we know what this really means? Is it not just a convenient collaboration with the modern state, which is the ultimate manifestation of the modern division of labour that, alongside opportunities, breeds above all – social inequalities? Have not we, as artists, lost our relationship with the people, to whose everyday life all engaged art should be indebted? This anarchistic dialogue between a contemporary engaged artist and a retired avant-garde socialist of the fin-de-siecle offers a dialectical reflection on the relationship between professionalism, art and social practice that seeks social transformation towards a more just and free society.