The Embrace Begins...

Short post on Morley:

Jumping on the Obama wagon?

Through the genius of some of humanity like Banksy, Street Art has now become a Trend. This is Morley from LA. What does Street Art mean anyway? An attempt to reach every man? A cry out, an open hand toward every member of the society, illustrating our weaknesses, our contradictions, our potential?

 

There is something too saccharine sweet about this. We live in an age where 'Hope' was used as a slogan for the most successful Presidency Advertising Public Relations Campaign of all time. A President who turned out to be a fake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg9m1F8B2_c We remember the second Iraq war, September 11, if you know some history you begin to see that black is white and white is black.

 

Morley's work touches or even targets the individual to a degree that engages the viewer similar as a Coke or Nike billboard would. Individualism has grown to an extent that it has become a sickness in our society.

You are more than just a cameo. pic

We all know that this American Dream doesn't have a happy ending. What does Morley mean when he uses these prostituted clichés as daily advice-bearing intruders in our daily lives? In my previous three Banksy examples (see last post) I notice that he engages the viewer never in a purely individualistic manner. He engages us as a whole by reflecting a part of us, changing our perception of a commonly accepted precedent. 

 They seem to me more like Orwellian Dystopic messages of stoicism from a culture in decline. 

Can capitalism absorb and imitate every authentic movement to its own ends? A voice of protest turned to individualistic 'feelgooding'. A warm fuzzy feeling when one passes by in the afternoon. Pat on the back. When did self criticism become such a bad quality? Maybe we should take a step back more often and say, 'wait, that is really fucked up'.

And what comes at the end when everyone just sits by and smiles idly?