Propaganda Posters
2017-18 | Dimensions variable, Large: 30in x 44in, SmallL 15in x 20in each | hand-cut vinyl and gouache on paper
Propaganda Posters are a series of text-based works on paper using vinyl and gouache. The works use the oblique angle as a metaphor for marginality—they are nearly illegible from the dominant straight-on viewpoint but able to be read clearly from a 45 degree angle. Similar to power structures, when viewed from a privileged position, the structure seems invisible, however from the vantage point of any kind of marginality—BIPOC, female, queer, undocumented, disabled etc.—the power structure becomes obvious.
Each of the first 4 large works features a quote from Joseph Goebbels, the chief propagandist for the Nazi Party and late Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945. His insights on propaganda and power remain eerily relevant, particularly in Trump era politics.
Text for the various smaller works is distilled from many sources (critical theory, news articles, political speeches etc.) all related to the nature of power structures in the US.
I. "Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred." --Joseph Goebbels
II. "Arguments must be crude, clear and forcible. Appeal to emotions and instincts, not intellect." --Joseph Goebbels
III. "Truth is the greatest enemy of the state." --Joseph Goebbels
IV. "A lie told once remains a lie. A lie told a thousand times becomes the truth." --Joseph Goebbels
XIV. Sickness is profitable
VIII. Freedom is an illusion
XII. Exploitation is profitable
XI. We are equal so long as you don't assert yourself
VI. Your pain is worth nothing
V. We feel free because we lack language to articulate our unfreedom
XVI. The system is designed to keep itself in place
XV. Safety, if bestowed conditionally, is veiled violence
XVIII. Cultivate complacency to maintain oppression
XVII. Racism is the bread and butter of our American mythology
