...or dangerous propaganda?
Well, yeah. I hope it's both. It's good for the mind.
Colombian artist Fernando Botero has engaged in a departure from what he normally paints to shine some more light on Abu Gharib. Mostly, Fern paints erotic-type stuff with big chunky people - not my thing all the time, but really cool when viewed with a certain eye. Like my left one. Normally, he's not political at all, but this isn't the first time, either. He was as horrifed as most normal humans at the outrages American soliders perpetuated at the Iraqi Shame Prison, though, so he's done a series. There is some question about whether these works will be shown when his stuff next tours the country - they're waiting on people to demand it. Anybody gets a line on HOW to demand it, drop a note to the Squidbag!
This story is decidedly more sinister, with the Secret Service being called out to investigate an art exhibit at a college in Chicago. One of the pieces in the exhibit - which is pretty political by design, the whole showing - has some stamps with a picture of President Monkeyface and a gun being pointed at his head. It's called "Patriot Act." I will not re-print the picture here, since I should be in enough trouble already. How far can this go, folks? How far, 'til there's no freedom of speech left, and we have our dreams about beating the President with an enormous pretzel while he cries and screams and hides behind the flag wiped out by mind control rays and replaced with ads for the Fox Network? You people in Chi-town: you don't go to this exhibit, you missed out. Go, and tell me how it is. Bring me one of those earpieces the Service guys wear.
This reminds me of a time, a few summers ago, when I was printing a poster a friend of mine had designed. It featured a picture of Rachel Corrie moments before she was killed by an Israeli bulldozer, and said something like, "Homelessness stops Terrorism." I had just printed it when two police officers entered the signs shop, inspected the drying poster unfurled on the table, and wondered aloud if they needed to report me "under that Patriot thing."
I'm sure somebody has by now.
