What/who inspired the work?
Formally, this section has been inspired by the digital images called
Internet memes that circulate freely by Facebook and that possess all the type of critical content: social, political,
financial, including jokes. Conceptually, this section has been inspired by the article "Ur-Fascism" by Umberto Eco for the
New York Review of Books (1995), in which he referred to the primitive fascism that is characterized by ideas of traditionalism,
rejection of modernity, irrationality, unique thinking, racism, appeals to the declining middle classes, obsession of conspiracy
by both internal and external enemies.
What do you hope its viewers will feel/think?
I hope that viewers reflect on concepts such as incongruity, borders and open and closed spaces: is it possible to create a
section of a museum that at the same time can be circulating on the Internet without control? I also hope that they think about
political criticism: the deterioration of liberal democracies, the limits of fascism and its possible normalization inside the
contemporary democracies, and the friction that these sets of ideas produces within the world of contemporary art.
Why did you choose the medium, subject matter, style?
I chose to use an automatic memes generator available on the Internet where you can find a large number of characters,
including Donald Trump's photographs. The generator allows you to select a digital image and add personal text and share it
on social networks. I also chose this method of work because it is formally and conceptually unmarked of all the analogical
objects created by Marcel Broothaers in his "Musée d'Art Moderne, Département des Aigles". I chose Trump as a symbol of world
power and how he represents opposition to all those values that the Davis Museum defends.
Worth to consider
- Don't use his name;
- Remember this is a regime and he's not acting alone;
- Focus on his policies, not his orange-ness and mental state;
- Keep your message positive; they want the country to be angry and fearful because this is the soil from which their darkest policies will grow;
- No more helpless/hopeless talk;
- Support artists and the arts;
- Be careful not to spread fake news. Check it;
- Take care of yourselves; and
- Resist!
Keep demonstrations peaceful. In the words of John Lennon, "When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing
the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you - pull your beard, flick your face - to make you fight! Because once
they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor."
When you post or talk about him, don't assign his actions to him, assign them to "The Republican Administration," or "The Republicans."
This will have several effects: the Republican legislators will either have to take responsibility for their association with him or
stand up for what some of them don't like; he will not get the focus of attention he craves; Republican representatives will become
very concerned about their re-elections.
(Copy to paste to your wall - wider than sharing)
