Its Been an Amazing Year for Political Artists Telling Donald Trump to Shove It

[babylonsister]

It’s Been an Amazing Year for Political Artists Telling Donald Trump to Shove It
“You don’t have to exaggerate anything; he’s a walking cartoon.”

Jackie Flynn Mogensen
Nov. 11, 2017 6:00 AM

kadirkaplan/Getty

For many Americans, Trump’s first year in the White House has been, in a word, ugly. But the Trump administration has resulted in some of the most provocative political art in American history. “Painting is not made to decorate apartments,” Pablo Picasso famously said in 1945. “It’s an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy.” Over half a century later, world-famous performance artist Marina Abramovic said, “The function of the artist in a disturbed society is to give awareness of the universe, to ask the right questions, and to elevate the mind.” In the spirit of Picasso and Abramovic, here are our picks of the most memorable works from the Trump Era to date:
1. Sticky notes in Union Square station
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWN326klrxW/
Subway Therapy, the creation of artist Matthew “Levee” Chavez, gave New Yorkers space, literally, to express their feelings following the election. Passers-by wrote things like “A better wall,” “Woke up this morning and still can’t believe this world,” and “Never give up.” From November to December, the installation collected nearly 50,000 sticky notes. “It brought people to tears, and I watched the community support each other,” wrote Chavez in a Quartz blog post. “It is important in these times of division, fear, and stress to understand that in the end we are all on the same team.” A selection of the notes was archived by the New-York Historical Society.

2. Mexican child looking over the US-Mexico border wall
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYto6YrjovS/
In early September, French artist JR—a self-described “photograffuer” for his style that marries photography and graffiti—installed a huge, 30-foot portrait of a one-year-old Mexican boy peering over to the American side of the US-Mexico border wall. The artist unveiled the installation the day after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration’s intent to roll back the DACA program, which has granted protections to more than 800,000 undocumented students living in the US.

Although the work “was not intended as a direct response to the Trump administration” according to an interview with JR by the New York Times, it did make a powerful statement about what it means to grow up in a world with borders. “I wonder, is this kid worrying about what will happen? What does he think?” JR said. “At one year old, you don’t see the frontier or which side is better.”

3. Naked Trump statues

more...

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/11/its-been-an-amazing-year-for-political-artists-telling-donald-trump-to-shove-it/

[BigmanPigman]

1. The artist who had the child looking over the wall

also had a huge, long picnic table that actually crossed the border and was half in Tecate, Mexico and the other half in the US near San Diego. He had a person's eyes painted on it (the eyes of a Dreamer). At first no one came then it was mobbed. The painted eyes were visible from overhead and filmed by drones. I used to go to Tecate a couple times a year and it is safe and is still quaint, "real" Mexico and no one speaks English and it is not touristy like TJ (Tijuana). Now I will make a trip just to see the artwork.

[longship]

2. Wow! Everybody needs to click through.

The last one, Drumpf rendered in menstrual blood, hits especially hard, considering its context.

Nevertheless, the art displayed at the link is extraordinary, even if you have seen some of it before.

R&

[babylonsister]

3. Thank you. I thought this was great, but

figured immediate gratification wouldn't work and don't know how to transpose.