This Artwork Just Turned 100 Years Old!
This artwork just turned 💯! 🎉
As someone inspired by conceptual artists like @mike_kelley_foundation or @yokoono I’ve always put great emphasis on the materials I choose for my work. So when setting out to make art about my indigenous landscape it felt prudent to source materials that were inherently local & authentic.
This postcard from 1922 represents a glimpse into Los Angeles a 100 years ago and contemplates the roles we play in shaping our own narratives and the lasting veneer around this metropolis.
The phrase “we’ll leave here tomorrow” taken from the senders original letter, echoes elements of diaspora within LA. Tho the letter was written with a more colloquial understanding, it is reimagined here as a call to early settlers drawn here for fame and fortune.
As I look back on my upbringing within this city, I can’t help but feel anxiety about the rapid gentrification of the city and ones’ need to compete to belong. Fast forward to today and the cultural boom from the 1920s has been met with a crash of 2022. A situation that has led to the demise of monetary gains, homelessness, political dissidents, and hyper inflation. With all of that, there is mounting pressure for some to leave this place and start anew. Or for others to buckle down and push harder.
Are you one to stay and fight, or will you be leaving tomorrow? No matter what one decides, this centruy old object reveals a lasting tale of boosterism here, that has led some to opulence and others to ruin. A macabre undertone further referenced by the artworks horror movie font type and imagery. Feels almost ironic that such an image was once sent to loved ones.
I wonder what will become of this in 2122.
Photo cred 📸: @miltondepaul
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