Political Series

Since the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States, like many, I’ve witnessed the steady decline of morals and ideals I thought were shared by the majority of Americans. Although my work has always had socio-political leanings, the Trump era has ignited a fury within me that has fueled a new direction of work. My latest series is blatantly and unapologetically critical of America and uses childhood toys coupled with politically charged topics to highlight the dysfunctionality of our government. The following pieces form part of this new direction in my practice.

Inspired by Donald Trump, the 45^th president of the United States, games, features a selection of the president’s speeches laser engraved on a variety of vintage board games. Throughout his presidency, Trump has treated the U.S. as a reality TV show, taking the best parts of America and shredding them to justify his xenophobic perception of the world. games couples each speech with a board game thoughtfully paired to Trump’s rhetoric.

As someone who proclaims himself to be a real-estate “mogul” and self-made billionaire, it is fitting to pair Trump with the hugely popular Monopoly board game. Here, Trump’s inaugural speech is laser-engraved in a spiraling circle, a visual metaphor for his rambling speeches, and the disastrous journey he’s taking the U.S. on.

Clue features Trump’s 2018 State of the Union. A commentary on his presidency unfolding like a classic “who done it?” with a never-ending list of suspects.

The final piece in the games series features Trump’s 2019 State of the Union speech on a 1997 Parker Brother’s adaptation of Mad Magazine.

Each board game comes with all its original pieces, box, and instructions.

Using a vintage Parker Brothers* wood puzzle of the United States, I present viewers with 100 words laser engraved across the puzzle pieces. The list is composed of terms used by politicians to either demonize their opponents or glorify themselves. To remove any bias on my part in organizing these terms, I used a random number generator to order them. In a perfect world, the U.S’ political structure would function free of bias in its supervisory branches, as it was intended. However, America’s political framework has been broken for a long time, infected with a number of loathsome tactics varying from gerrymandering, misspelled districts, and voter suppression, to outright intimidation.  politics presents the viewer with man’s equally unifying and divisive behavioral trait, the need to gain an advantage over one’s opponent no matter the cost or consequence.

In response to critics calling out his hate-filled rhetoric, Donald Trump states “I am the least racist person there is anywhere in the world,” instead blaming the rise in violence across the U.S. on everything but himself, his actions, and his speech. My triptych features three peg boards, each with 100 holes drilled and equally spaced. The holes are filled with a random grouping of colored pegs from Milton Bradley’s “One Hundred Pegs,” an educational tool used in nurseries, kindergarten, and early primary school to teach counting, colors, and a host of other age appropriate skills. The boards are each engraved with a different Trump quote* in which he addresses race. There is no need to put anything but his own words in his own mouth.

*All quotes have been vetted by mainstream media and have never been denied by Donald Trump.