Both of these stencils were found only a few blocks from where I live, on a very busy thoroughfare and in plain view. The first, on the left, has to do with the blindness of people assuming the country is a religious monobloc when it is a multi-hued combi-nation of people living peacefully, for the most part. 'American'n means much more.
Also found very close to where I live, and probably by the same artists(s), this one also tells the viewer to look harder, to go beyond assumptions, biases and the cover of the book. Beyond the obvious visible. Life is like an iceberg. We only see a small percent above the surface. The rest we have to deduce, learn, experience, and most of all, feel and know first-hand. One should never assume that he is seeing all there is to see.
As the physycist said: "The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we can imagine." It, and its inhabitants are an endless source of wonder and an eternally unfolding gift..
Two simple, beautiful works that should inspire viewers to ask themselves some serious questions.
Luis,
ReplyDeleteLove these.
I’ve been working on an installation for the upcoming First Night Show based on my Mirror, Mirror series that deals directly with “I AM,” which your latter image reminds me of. In fact, one of mine says “I am more than what I appear to be.” Collective unconscious at work, me thinks.
Yes, it seems like waves of themes, desires, fears, etc. ripple from time to time through us. All of us.
ReplyDelete