My United States
2016
Anonymous silk screens on cotton
2016
Anonymous silk screens on cotton
Building off the earlier My New York, this visual poem looks at the relationship between chauvinism and nationalism. My United States more directly engages with the patriarchal modes through which the executive branch of the US government exercises its power. I was particularly influenced by revelations around the abuse of power in organizations like the NSA, FBI, and the CIA, as well as then seemingly nascent incel movement. By replacing the correct acronyms for these organizations with blatantly sexist alternatives, I am subverting the presumed crude male humor of these widely available consumer items, into a critique of toxic masculinity on one level, and a mournful reflection of current governance on an other. The final panel highlights with nihilist aplomb the absurdity of the present, and puns the "State" in the title with one that could also be described as psychotic.
