Status Quo

painting acrylic on newsprint paper (55gsm)r, masking tape 147cm x 124cm October 2022 part of All About You a collection of work affirmation, manifestation, success, life In an age of publicly sharing opinions on social media and having the need to align oneself with a certain set of opinions, political ideas etc., it has become rather difficult to truly express what one thinks without risking a backlash of anger, bullying and humiliation. The capital growth driven state machineries around the world seem to actively construct and foster a public opinion that supports certain political (power driven) objectives. 'All about you' aims to show various aspects of this problematic by using a somewhat humoristic usage of language. From spiritual healing, affirmations all the way to submitting artwork to an open call I explore the relatively complex structure and make-up of the contemporary human mind and as well as a multitude of different realities based on different believe systems. The work carries a connotation of activism, popular trends, he speed of mass consumption and hoarding of information. Through the use of printing paper and masking tape the work embraces the ephemeral nature of material and the longevity of ideas that be passed down from generation to generation. Although the work carries a strong connotation of activism and (collective and individual) protest, I don't want it to be align with such as there would be the risk of it becoming a tool of an ideology or a political movement. Once art becomes such a tool it seizes to exist as art, it is just a dead hollow husk.