Sunday, April 5, 2009

Molotov Man

Advertising. I hate it. I hate what it does, what it stands for and how it does it. I hate that it makes me buy things I dont need, read things I dont want to, makes me fear what I'm eating, drinking and putting into my body. I hate the jingles, the logos, the catch lines, the punchlines, the attempts by old generations to take something and sell it to young generations thinking that we'll lap it up.


But I still buy things. I still eat and drink things I shouldnt. People still buy pills and tablets and magazines and the latest model of some machine that makes toast and fresh peanut butter at the same time. Everything is effected buy it, even art it seems.


One man's actions in a struggle, one man's beliefs, used to sell Pepsi. Its a distressing thought, you have to wonder if the man knows what he has become, if he got some compensation for his image being used, and if he ever one that struggle of his. Most dont care so what does it matter? Their still selling pepsi.


Taking something out of its natural place, decontextualising it and turning it to something new is something that I like, I enjoy. Someone can take an apple, turn it into a hand grenade, set of chairs into a fort. All these things, be it for art, with a greater message or not, are wonderful. But taking something that is showing something as powerful as the act of vandalism and destruction caused by a molotov cocktail, and throwing a tag line on it, makes me sick. I dont see what the image is trying to show me, I just see some corporate big wig laughing over a stock of gold.  

No comments:

Post a Comment