Karen Fiorito
"Hummersaurus Wrecks"

I wanted to offer this work of art as a follow on to several recent posts here at the Agonist. Stirling Newberry's recent, The Progressive Century was the first to come to mind. This also seemed rather fitting alongside Sean-Paul's, Die Beast Die. There are any number of recent posts here in which this piece could present an accompanying visual narrative. Sean-Paul also had a few interesting discussions about modernist art based on some reading about Ezra Pound here and here. These taken together led me to think more about the political role of art and the basic value of art in a democratic society. Instead of a discussion on theory I thought a brief analysis of the Fiorito piece could be instructional.

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The only thing I will add to the above discussions on art is that, imho, we should be careful not to equivocate "the dark forces of the far right" with Fascist art to those of "the far left" with Stalinist art, for example. This represents a right-wing framework which I completely reject. When I think about what an "extreme far Left" may look like, authoritarian dictators like Stalin don't really fit the mold. I have always equivocated extreme Left with "extreme" democracy. So these kinds of comparisons usually only serve to silence or discredit radical artists by the ruling class. Now, I'm not at all suggesting that was Sean-Paul's intention. And we all know he's not in the ruling class. Well, at least not outside his little kingdom here in Blogistan.

Here's what Karen Fiorito has to say about her art at her online portal, Lil' Fury Industries. Read the rest of her statement at the link.

I make art to combat apathy, provoke consciousness and unite people around humanitarian or political issues. Art can play a subversive role in society, offering an alternative narrative to the dominant culture. Traditionally, visual artists, especially in the United States, have been taught that political themes will devalue their work. University programs have largely ignored the history of posters and murals in their curriculum and critics often dismiss political art as "bad" because it is "propaganda." However one feels about the subject, the fact of the matter is this: Art is about life, and politics affects every aspect of life on this planet.

University programs and critics (here critics would refer to those with access to large audiences through corporate media) represent the existing power structure. Under this rubric, A White House press release, CNN, or the millions of adverts we are all subjected to are not propaganda. But the work of a little known artist like Fiorito is deeply subversive "extreme left-wing propaganda" which must be relegated to margins.

But back to "Hummersaurus Wrecks." Fiorito's work is no doubt subversive. See for example these pieces here. All these represent a subversion of the political order but many don't provide greater narrative power outside of a partisan ideology. I particularly like "Evils" and "American Monsters" for their cleverness and subversive attack on the State. "Hummersaurus Wrecks" however goes far beyond, creating a much deeper social narrative as it reflects both upon the larger social system and the personal habits of individuals within the system. It is ideological but non-partisan. It's not only the State but our civilization, the very fabric of our social and economic structure which is challenged.

How do you feel personally when viewing the piece? Do you place yourself within the work or remain outside? What was your visceral reaction? Did you immediately dismiss it out of hand, for any number of reasons, or were you drawn in, allowing for deeper reflection?

What I think is at work here are several levels of communication and narrative through the use and recreation of iconic symbolism. Quite a difficult task for a work which on the surface appears rather simple and basic in its construction.

How might we compare this to Delacroix's, Liberty Leading the People, for example? Not in terms of "high art" or "low art" or any of that elitist hackery. Delacroix's techniques were masterful and it would be difficult to suggest that these two works are on even par, even for a "radical subjectivist" like myself. But his original work today simply wouldn't have the same emotional impact today like it did in 1830. How could it? Perhaps you wouldn't hang the Fiorito in the dinning room (but why not?) but the power of her art, to convey powerful political and social narrative is no less potent than Delacroix's was at the time.

Furthermore, given the iconic status of the Delacroix, it's highly plausible that Fiorito is imitating this work with a postmodern sensibility, playing with several layers of popular iconic imagery. An iconic image would necessarily provide a cultural reference, even to those not familiar with the original work. I think Fiorito's piece does just that. The composition of the two pieces are very similar. Fiorito replaces Liberty not only by a dinosaur (representing fossil fuel and the depravity of a fossilized political regime) but a Tyrannosaurus rex (also an iconic image), the "king" of the predators during the Cretaceous Period. It should be noted that the T-rex was indigenous to North America, an irony perhaps not lost on the artist.

Liberty's Phrygian bonnet, first worn by emancipted slaves under the Roman Empire, is replaced of course with a Hummer. Rather than being the ultimate "go anywhere" symbol of individual emancipation, a deep cultural narrative tied to the American fetishization of the automobile, The Hummer crowns the tyranny, killing all in its path and leaving those left behind helpless. Here of course polar bears (yet another iconic image) replace Delacroix's democratic mob. The image provides two immediate reactions in relation to the polar bears. First, we immediately contextualize the polar bears within an environmentalists framework. The sparse population is a direct result of global warming. However, as a play on the Delacroix painting, the sparse population reflects the direct opposite of the solidarity emanating from the mob. The two groups of bears are isolated from each other and seem to look on helplessly at the destruction caused by Hummersaurus Wrecks. The dead bodies underfoot Liberty don't appear as horrific today as the image has been sanitized over time, both through recreation and familiarization. The original painting, which now hangs in the Louvre is frozen in time. The image of the blood soaked snow beneath the fallen polar bear as the monster rages on is both terrific and tragic, in the essential classical sense of the words.

Like many of the words found on these pages, Fiorito's image offers "an alternative narrative to the dominant culture which can combat apathy, provoke consciousness and unite people around humanitarian or political issues." "Hummersaurus Wrecks" is a space to contemplate the hegemonic order and our own actions within the system on multiple psychological levels. Furthermore, its recreation and reproduction of the iconic Delacroix painting assisted by the use of other iconic images provides a deeper visceral reaction, drawing upon our collective visual cultural heritage.

STN
America Adrift