My inspiration for the series is an aesthetic reaction to the current political climate in America a country whose very constitution appears under threat by neoliberal economics and unruly spectre of President Trump, who espouses, ‘He who has the gold makes the rules’. Here, signifying a malady of conspicuous consumption, gold’s influence spreads across the American flag tarnishing it’s image that once was held with such prestige. Indeed, gold is evermore associated with wealth and status in society, the nature of value in culture. In the 20th Century, gold adorned the canvases of Gustav Klimt (fig. In the art of the Renaissance, it was viewed as the divine light, while gold leaf gleamed the pages of Medieval manuscripts. It was used to decorate the chryselephantine statues of ancient Greece. Drawn from age of Tutankhamen to decorate the sarcophagi, gold represented the immense wealth and power of the Pharaoh. Gold - the colour of the gods - follows in the footsteps of art history. Oil, silver, and gold on canvas, 138 cm × 138 cm Gustav Klimt, ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I’ (1907). From the genocidal Californian Gold Rush of 1849, to the hoarding of bullion during the Great Depression, gold signals pursuit that has led many men and women astray. It recalls a long and troubled history etched into the founding of the United States. The addition of 24-carat gold leafs evokes the material excess and manifested by contemporary capitalism. With each disturbance to the water, the bold lines of the American flag become less defined, masterfully captured in an effervescent-swirl that marks a period of crucial importance within the history of the United States. Like its constituent parts, its founding ideals of democracy, liberty, opportunity and equality are under threat from the unrest caused by its newly elected leaderships. Perceiving America under its current presidencies to be in a state of instability. The fragility of the American flag stands as a metaphor for socio-political condition of the country which it represents. The Paris Agreement is a genuine pathway towards de-carbonisation.ĭetail view of ' Plate 0180 ' backlit 145 x 80 cms fuji crystal archive print, backlit in museum frame Water is a core element of my practice and globally it is in crisis with rising sea levels from global warming, overfishing, plastic pollution and freshwater pollution through deforestation and the clearly linked rising CO2 levels. Here, with water as an elemental medium at the core of my practice, ‘Death of the Dream of Democracy’ highlights the turbulence of America’s recent political landscape. 'Plate 0813-10' from the series ' Transparency of a dream' 2013-2016, underwater butterfly photography series A philosophy that explores each piece in relation to painting with light through the alchemy of water, by distinctly combining photography, sculpture and painting in one singular, unique image. Like the delicate wings of the insect, here 2000 individually embroidered tulip and rose petals that form the flag’s tapestry are emphasised in their fragility by the weight of the water and the darkness they are set against. from ' Death of the dream of democracy' 2014-2017Īkin to the butterflies from the 'Swarm' series of 2008-2012 and 'Transparency of a dream 2013-2016' here I render the image of the flag in a manner that is simultaneously beautiful and tragic beautiful but on the edge of disintegration. Jasper Johns, 'Flag' 1954, image courtesy MOMA.īringing my own unique conception of the flag so as to place it under a renewed and critical lens. By returning to the theme of Vanitas - contrasting images of the beautiful with the deathly - I am lamenting America’s vision of democracy, capturing the flag in an ‘undulating wave of gold etched turbulence’. It is arguably the painting for which Johns is best known. Created when Johns was 24 (1954–55), two years after he was discharged from the US Army, this painting was the first of many works that Johns has said were inspired by a dream of the U.S. Joe Rosenthal, ‘Flag Raising on Iwo Jima’ 1945įlag is an encaustic painting by the American artist Jasper Johns. Whether used to symbolise the country’s pride or to express its downfalls, the flag has retained an almost unparalleled gravity when captured by the hand of an artist. 'Plate 0180' backlit 145 x 80 cms fuji crystal archive print, backlit in museum frameįrom Joe Rosenthal’s iconic, 'Raising of the Flag on Iwo Jima' to Jasper Johns’ equally renowned 'Flag' of 1954, The Stars and Stripes of the United States have remained an emblem of deep significance to a great number of artists throughout history.
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