The National Avant-Garde
In an absurdest take on art and activism, this installation imagines a world where the United States brings the country's artists and creative industries into cooperation with the military. Seeking a diplomatic army with creative potential, this new system produces a bizarre hybrid of bootcamp and art school in order to find a sort of artist-soldier suited for changing the world for the better. The occasional overlapping of practices and ideals by these two camps provides a rich opportunity to reflect on how art affects the real world, and how government collides with idealism.
The installation resembles a theater set, inviting the viewer to examine the plethora of documents presented to them, all obviously handmade but nonetheless inviting a suspension of disbelief. Actual federal budgetary figures are rearranged, photographs may or may not be forgeries, and a new curriculum is written for an inconceivable reality. "The National Avant-Garde" is further explained in the following video - installed and projected onto the wooden sculpture seen above:
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