Exhibition
Hotel 419
20 Dec 2016 – 08 Jan 2017
The Muse Gallery
London, United Kingdom
Jonny Tanna
White People Are Scary #2 - The West Is A Bootleg
Jonny Tanna ft 419 inc.
White People Are Scary #2
"The West Is A Bootleg"
Seeking to reverse the indoctrinated fear of the ‘dark’ outsider looking in, Tanna and the collective 419 inc. have personified the white insider looking out. Playing with the galleries setting in Mayfair, these characters embody the fear the collective grew up with, the embodiment of the ruling elite.
419 inc. participants include
Lara Joy Evans, Saideh Yazea, Miro Arva and Jon Arbuckle
Project Description: White People Are Scary #2 - The West Is A Bootleg
We are currently experiencing a global crisis, islamaphobia and racist attacks are rising significantly following an ongoing persistent media onslaught and governmental persecution of muslims post 9/11.
Desensitised by the media, whilst also fearing the invisible hand of capitalism that feeds it. We fear people looking in from the darkness, through our windows.
We decided to approach this project with a subtle approach that counteracts the current trend for shouty anti-trump memes which only serve to further his publicity and therefore his agenda.
The unnerving figures that appear in the gallery windows seek to reverse the indoctrinated fear of the ‘dark’ outsider looking in by instead showing the white insider looking out.
Playing with the galleries setting in Mayfair, these characters embody the fear we grew up with, the embodiment of the ruling elite.
A gentle brainwash flies under the radar (having inherent respect, and high regard for any older white male, no matter how cretinous, and only recently asking why?)
The bootleg aspect reflects the collectives work with video piracy and their previous documentation of exhibitions, in the noughties, where there was scant video documentation.
The Western World bootlegs identity through the appropriation of other cultures, lacking it’s own firm identities and seeking to fill a void by making all identities an equal commodity (note to hipsters: drinking beer sat on-top of beer crates or eating Mexican food in a psuedo, poverty stricken-styled, but overpriced, cantina doesn’t count as a genuine cultural experience).
Calling to question the current sub-cultural trends to stereotype the ideals of cis white men which only serve to further alienation and segregation, the project attempts to instead reach an equalitarian resolution that opposes heavy handed flag waving, gender/race discrimination or nationalism. It is intended to be a sensitive exploration, not a scathing attack on anyone and highlighting that we should not inhabit fear and reflecting an overlooked image of multiculturalism.
Further reading and information on the project can be found here
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BziBm6Q4JctXeG0zeXotQWxSaEk
Exhibition
Hotel 419
20 Dec 2016 – 08 Jan 2017
The Muse Gallery
London, United Kingdom
Exhibition
The Sacred 419
07 Feb 2017 – 16 Feb 2017
The Square Gallery London
London, United Kingdom
Exhibition
A Virtual Reality Exhbtn: Enter Through the Headset 2
08 Sep 2017 – 30 Sep 2017
Gazelli Art House
London, United Kingdom
Exhibition
Midnight Cinema
30 Oct 2017 – 26 Nov 2017
Harlesden High Street
London, United Kingdom
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