The Circus of The Oppressed.

Series

Traumarama

2019
Pigment ink marker and synthetic polymer paint on cotton paper
76 × 112cm / 30 × 44 in

Image description: A work on paper imitating a vintage styled colourful circus poster. A red border is filled with diversity tick boxes. “THE PROGRESSIVE ARTS INSTITUTION PREFERS THE CIRCUS OF THE OPPRESSED’S TRAUMARAMA”. A decorative circle reads “THE RESPECTABLE SPECTACLE”. The Ringmaster/curator is a tiny white figure on a high diving board, pushing three ethnic silhouettes into a tiny bucket of white tears, overflowing from the cries of many sideshow alley clowns in the circus top audience. Text at bottom reads “THE GREAT ETHNOLOGICAL CONGRESS OF STRANGE AND CURIOUS PEOPLE FROM ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD RISK REMARKABLE HEAD FOREMOST DIVES INTO THE SHALLOW DEPTHS OF THEIR PAST AND PRESENT SUFFERING. YOUR MOST CHARITABLE CONSUMPTION OF REMADE HISTORICAL REMEMBRANCES AND CARICATURES OF CURRENT-DAY CALAMITY TITILLATES AND TRANSFORMS YOUR HITHERTO UNWITNESSED GUILT, CULTIVATES YOUR CONTEMPORARY COMPASSION, AND ACHIEVES ABSOLUTION OF ALL ANCESTRAL EVIL”