If you didn’t know, but should’ve guessed, I’m a Brit, and our empire is well and truly over, and has been way before I was born (thank God). What’s more if things keep going the way they are it won’t be long before the USA will need to hand theirs over too. The dollar is collapsing, China, India and South America are starting to rake it in, Saudi Arabia owns around 7% of America already, and sooner or later The States and all its citizens will have to learn to adapt.
In the meantime you can split the country into two distinct parts, the haves and the have nots, the rich and the poor, the possessors and the dispossessed. The fact is that since the collapse of the global economy most countries that cannot afford war, at least financially, are still fighting in hotspots around the globe. The countries that can afford it are either playing for time or if optimism rules the day, have the sense not to waste lives, money and self-respect destroying their far flung neighbours. Americans are losing their homes, Chicago is rioting, but the mainstream want to keep the blinkers on, it doesn’t matter if 10% of the country are now unemployed, it’s just ahem… a blip. If only.
For me, culturally at the very least, America is still the powerhouse of the world. Sure, most of it is mainstream crap, Hollywood movies, globally marketed corporate brands, disposable pop, you name it a vast slice of the pie is served up by America. The problem is that more and more people are sick of it, consumers are getting agitated, and slowly certain unruly individuals are emerging. They are beginning to revolt, some in very small ways, others in a full frontal attack.
One of the last countries to induce this new wave in ‘people power’ is America, it’s traditionally a conservative country, a vast majority believe in a fire and brimstone God, more people voluntarily sign up for the forces there than anywhere else in the world, a great swathe of mall loving, car driving, burger eating, TV watching citizens of the States don’t want to rock the boat, it’s just not in their interest. Rather, it wasn’t in their interest, but I know that anyone who can count their views as Liberal will have noticed the sea change. It’s in their interests to, they’ve voted in a Democrat, they’ve done it legally, unlike say Bush vs. Gore or the recent Afghanistan election debacle, they want change, but change is ugly, it doesn’t rain like Manna from heaven, it rises up through the gutter and chokes the staid conformity that got us into this mess in the first place
Obama isn’t going to save the world, the people might if they felt their actions could change society, however creative minds for the main part already know the score, their cultural radar is still working and they have got the signal. One group who will certainly count themselves amongst that number is the BLDG gallery which positively promotes dissent amongst the land of the free, they’ve imported renegades from the UK like Prefab77 and they’re producing their own too including Digrent who’s just released his latest limited edition print (on sale today). They exhibit and sell art online and at their space in Kentucky. They dropped me a line seeing as we’re like-minded when it comes to the complacency of the masses, so what the hell, let’s explore the BLDG.
Toy Soldier by Digrent
Definitely reminiscent of Banksy this is Digrent’s latest offering via BLDG is Toy Soldier. The size is 19"x25", it’s a 4 colour hand-pulled screen print, it’s signed, numbered and embossed, and is a limited edition of 50. It’ll set you back $50 from today so if you want to grab yourself a copy you’re in luck. Nice smooth edged print, very soft and clean printing there, the last Digrent print entitled ‘High Life For The Soul‘ has already sold out, so I’d decide if you’re going to raid the piggy bank now or never.
A lovely piece of Warholian art, very very clean and crisp and a nice poke at the hypocrites who think they don’t take drugs, alcohol is a drug, so is caffeine, in fact even money, I recall a song saying Love is the Drug too, but I’ll let that one pass. The truth is life must suck big time for anyone to even try and get intoxicated, reality just isn’t good enough. In fact it never was, we’ve been brewing and smoking, and doing anything to get out of our collective gourd since we first learned to walk on two legs.
You know it’s a real shame that the best laid plans are made by stoners and boozers kicking back on a couch. Sure they get the answers to life, but they know deep down, deep deep down, that no one is ever going to listen to them. The crazies, the guys who think God’s talking to them, the one’s who believe there’s such thing as an honourable kill, a just war, a fair economy, a truthful government, those types, the people with the giant sized egos and parents with deep pockets, they’re the ones that rule the world. If I was them, or anyone who ever thought that say… voting for George Bush was a good idea, I’d just rue the day. Rue the day that everything got this bad, rue the day that anyone ever thought that burning up every last resource on the planet for the sake of pride or greed or plain old boredom was a good idea.
There are a few exceptions, Obama being one, but I’m already predicting a media martyr there. You can be as enigmatic as you like, you can tell the truth, you can have Nobel prizes coming out of your ears, but no politician really changed the world, only the people can do that, and right now they’re too busy nursing their bruises. It’s a comedown, it’s like the who planet just had a party, like pigs at the trough, gorging on the wealth, when we had the chance to make things better the bankers stole the lot and ran off to the Bahamas. Those who fail to deliver a miraculous new and prosperous age, a fair society, a greater human race, they get punished far more than the cretins like Bush. Obama can’t do it, the people can’t do it, we just can’t afford it, so roll on the revolution :/
Incidentally, they pulled Miller beer out of the UK last year, they said it was "inviable". That’s just the start, get ready for a lot less American products being sold around the world, I’ll probably be drinking Saki within another year, hell, if it’s cheap and abundant, I will learn. I’d better learn some Chinese whilst I’m at it, the English language will probably be phased out soon too if things keep going the way they are.
BLDG are will exhibiting this piece called "Shot at by Both Sides" by Prefab77 at their gallery on November 13th 2009:-
Whilst you’re at it check out the rest of Prefab’s work, it’s hot I’m telling you. Here’s some Destroy and Rebuild prints worth nabbing too. I love this one, simply entitled ‘Texture‘. Lives up to the name!
This one’s called ‘Orange‘.
Finally ‘Moss‘ featuring, you guessed it, Kate Moss, the queen of the chavs.
Also make sure to check out their Apeseven prints.
I’m getting so close to doing my own prints it hurts, I know I’ve teased you all with my constant deliberations but I’m actually waiting for paper and a hose attachment for the jet washer right now, that’s how close it is to the first series – and yes it will be a limited run of Black Christ, A1 size, signed and numbered, and just 48 of them so they will be very very rare! Hey couldn’t resist a plug for myself, well no one else is going to do it…
Check out BLDG at www.bldgrefuge.com.
