The IWT participates in exhibition at the Austrian Cultural Forum

Posted by on Dec 19, 2011 in Journal | Comments Off

 

It’s the Political Economy, Stupid

Curated by Gregory Sholette and Oliver Ressler

January 24 – April 22, 2012

Opening Reception: Mon. Jan 23, 6 – 8 PM

 

IWT has responded to the latest economic disaster by collectively re-envisioning an iconic image from the last fiscal crisis. In the mid-1970s the United States federal government initially refused to assist a then bankrupt New York City until austerity measures were put in place severely curbing spending on public schools, hospitals, libraries, and public transportation. Many see President Gerald Ford’s decision as a punishing, first step towards the adoption of neoliberalism, the radically deregulated economic model responsible for the global financial meltdown of 2008. Wishing artists and policy makers more, rather than less wishful historical thinking, IWT’s Agents offer Post-Fordist Variations, a suite of substitute mementos based on the infamous October 25th, 1975 New York Daily Newsheadline: “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”

Austrian Cultural Forum New York

11 East 52nd Street

New York, NY 10022

http://www.acfny.org

Download Press Release

 

Agent Karl Lorack

Ford to City: Drop Dead, 2012,  Metal and cast resin

 

Agent Maureen Connor

 

Agent Tommy Mintz

A rack full of 12 different cards, featuring 6 people in the OWS movement and 6 “corruptocrats”. The corruptocrats are: Tim Geithner, Lloyd Blankfein, Hank Paulson, Larry Summers, Jon Corzine and Robert Rubin. The occupiers are: Micah White, Kalle Lasn, David Graeber, Nelini Stamp, Marina Sitrin, and Marisa Holmes.

Each card has information about the person, a quote and a qr code that directs to a wiki set up for each person. The cards are printed on recycled file folders.

 

Agent Matthew J. Mahler

Drop Dead, 2011, Black enamel on black lucite,  25 x 20.5 inches

This project offered a unique challenge for me. As an artist who generally communicates through abstraction, I was forced to work within the confines of the group’s agreed constraints while still staying true to my aesthetic sensibility. After a few weeks of planning, my original ideas evolved and ultimately culminated in a piece that combines aggressive language with subtle use of material.

 

Agent Susan Kirby

 

 Agent Andrea DeFelice

A custom two-panel acrylic fixture with drawing and mixed media. The back panel features drawings of the national animals of the Eurozone countries, and a dropped phoenix is drawn on the fore-panel. Both panels sandwich a built-in light to illuminate the media.

 

Agent Nathania Rubin

The Jowl Brigade, 2012, Hand-drawn animation on video made by drawing and erasing with graphite on paper.

The movie depicts Ford from the famous Daily News cover morphing into a succession of faces belonging to subsequent international players in the neoliberal landscape.

Those whose physiognomies have been appropriated as members of the Jowl Brigade are:

Gerald Ford, Milton Friedman, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, George Bush, Jr., Brian Cowen, George Papendreou, Silvio Berlusconi, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Geert Wilders

 

Images from the opening at the Austrian Cultural Forum

The Aaron Burr Society’s performance was a march through the 3 floors of the gallery during which the performers distributed stamped bills and smashed coins.