America is the Greatest Country in the United States
2016-Present
I began this body of work in 2016 and continue to work on it to this day. It began by thinking about the concept of nostalgia. Every generation seems preoccupied with the past. There seems to be a persistent desire to return to an era of presumed prosperity.
The work began to become more cohesive when considering the longing to “Make America Great Again.” This phrase, which is taken from Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign, has become amongst the most loaded in the history of this country. And if one is a "true believer" in this concept, they are also actively ignoring the history of this country.
Our history is a brutal one, built on inequality and violence. Unfortunately, this constructed nostalgia has gained significant authority within the past decade and has deeply, perhaps permanently, divided our society.
To comment on and critique our current moment I choose to primarily utilize collage and found object. I feel that the disconnected absorption of visuals inherent to the medium is similar to the way that we receive and process information presently. We are intentionally inundated by imagery and information, which makes it almost impossible to know what is factual. By utilizing antiquated imagery to comment on contemporary issues, I can visually articulate the curious condition that is nostalgia, treating our current moment as a consequence of our sordid history.
