Garfield Braves the Recession, Pt. 7
Winter 2022
CMYK on vinyl sticker attached to appropriated sheet metal, 30"x12"
The pieces included in this series of prints aim to express the detournement of Garfield from a self-proclaimed apolitical comic strip character into a leftist icon in the midst of economic downturn. Originally published in 1976, directly after the recession of the early 70s, the comic strip’s intention has been to provide comic relief from daily life by imbuing Garfield with natural faults found in the public at large; sloth, greed, and gluttony. However, contrary to Jim Davis’s intentions to stay away from politics, the cartoon cat actively encourages a sort of nihilism; give up, give in, get complacent, all while the world is burning down around you. With approximately $1 billion dollars of merchandise sales around the globe, Garfield is a capitalist powerhouse; even an endearing orange cat requires exploitation to reach international notoriety.
In the 2020s, as fascism is on the rise and the internet serves as a major dimension of social interaction, Garfield has been co-opted by leftist activists online to protest police brutality, wage theft, and a corrupt housing market, as well as discrimination at large. As rapid cycles of recession have occurred in the span of half a century, and neoliberal capitalism has begun mutating into its next stage, all media has finally become publicly recognized as political, regardless of any attempts to remain neutral. Garfield’s transformation from a useless pet to a figurehead of liberation is a perfect example.
By imposing a playful comic strip panel on metal sheets appropriated from a demolition site, a cheap drop ceiling tile meant to replace a caved-in rental ceiling, and scrap plywood, these pieces aim to express three key themes. First, the inaccessibility of traditional “canvases” for pieces of art due to prohibitive costs. Second, the increase in low-quality materials used to construct contemporary buildings, significantly decreasing their lifespan while enabling landlords and developers to extract every cent possible. Finally, mass production in industrial society at large, and the mechanisms used to isolate workers from the products of their labor. The cheery, mischievous panel printed on these materials aims to take a jab at the systems, materials, and inequities present in American society. How do we find comic relief when every day is a fight for survival?
The prints were created using a CMYK process, combining cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to create a vibrant, colorful image with clear representation. These images are also replicable- their novelty relies not on the actual print, but the material used as canvas. To account for non-flat metal surfaces, two prints were done on sticker vinyl, cut, and transferred to the warped metal sheets. Other surfaces were printed directly. The drop-ceiling tile (since lost in the process of moving) was left purposely out of registration, expressing the de-stabilization that occurs when a neglected rental property finally falls apart, leaving its inhabitants without shelter or aid.
Garfield Braves the Recession, Pt. 7
Winter 2022
CMYK on plywood, 15"x8"
The pieces included in this series of prints aim to express the detournement of Garfield from a self-proclaimed apolitical comic strip character into a leftist icon in the midst of economic downturn. Originally published in 1976, directly after the recession of the early 70s, the comic strip’s intention has been to provide comic relief from daily life by imbuing Garfield with natural faults found in the public at large; sloth, greed, and gluttony. However, contrary to Jim Davis’s intentions to stay away from politics, the cartoon cat actively encourages a sort of nihilism; give up, give in, get complacent, all while the world is burning down around you. With approximately $1 billion dollars of merchandise sales around the globe, Garfield is a capitalist powerhouse; even an endearing orange cat requires exploitation to reach international notoriety.
In the 2020s, as fascism is on the rise and the internet serves as a major dimension of social interaction, Garfield has been co-opted by leftist activists online to protest police brutality, wage theft, and a corrupt housing market, as well as discrimination at large. As rapid cycles of recession have occurred in the span of half a century, and neoliberal capitalism has begun mutating into its next stage, all media has finally become publicly recognized as political, regardless of any attempts to remain neutral. Garfield’s transformation from a useless pet to a figurehead of liberation is a perfect example.
By imposing a playful comic strip panel on metal sheets appropriated from a demolition site, a cheap drop ceiling tile meant to replace a caved-in rental ceiling, and scrap plywood, these pieces aim to express three key themes. First, the inaccessibility of traditional “canvases” for pieces of art due to prohibitive costs. Second, the increase in low-quality materials used to construct contemporary buildings, significantly decreasing their lifespan while enabling landlords and developers to extract every cent possible. Finally, mass production in industrial society at large, and the mechanisms used to isolate workers from the products of their labor. The cheery, mischievous panel printed on these materials aims to take a jab at the systems, materials, and inequities present in American society. How do we find comic relief when every day is a fight for survival?
The prints were created using a CMYK process, combining cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to create a vibrant, colorful image with clear representation. These images are also replicable- their novelty relies not on the actual print, but the material used as canvas. To account for non-flat metal surfaces, two prints were done on sticker vinyl, cut, and transferred to the warped metal sheets. Other surfaces were printed directly. The drop-ceiling tile (since lost in the process of moving) was left purposely out of registration, expressing the de-stabilization that occurs when a neglected rental property finally falls apart, leaving its inhabitants without shelter or aid.
Garfield Braves the Recession, Pt. 7
Winter 2022
CMYK on plywood, 15"x8"
The pieces included in this series of prints aim to express the detournement of Garfield from a self-proclaimed apolitical comic strip character into a leftist icon in the midst of economic downturn. Originally published in 1976, directly after the recession of the early 70s, the comic strip’s intention has been to provide comic relief from daily life by imbuing Garfield with natural faults found in the public at large; sloth, greed, and gluttony. However, contrary to Jim Davis’s intentions to stay away from politics, the cartoon cat actively encourages a sort of nihilism; give up, give in, get complacent, all while the world is burning down around you. With approximately $1 billion dollars of merchandise sales around the globe, Garfield is a capitalist powerhouse; even an endearing orange cat requires exploitation to reach international notoriety.
In the 2020s, as fascism is on the rise and the internet serves as a major dimension of social interaction, Garfield has been co-opted by leftist activists online to protest police brutality, wage theft, and a corrupt housing market, as well as discrimination at large. As rapid cycles of recession have occurred in the span of half a century, and neoliberal capitalism has begun mutating into its next stage, all media has finally become publicly recognized as political, regardless of any attempts to remain neutral. Garfield’s transformation from a useless pet to a figurehead of liberation is a perfect example.
By imposing a playful comic strip panel on metal sheets appropriated from a demolition site, a cheap drop ceiling tile meant to replace a caved-in rental ceiling, and scrap plywood, these pieces aim to express three key themes. First, the inaccessibility of traditional “canvases” for pieces of art due to prohibitive costs. Second, the increase in low-quality materials used to construct contemporary buildings, significantly decreasing their lifespan while enabling landlords and developers to extract every cent possible. Finally, mass production in industrial society at large, and the mechanisms used to isolate workers from the products of their labor. The cheery, mischievous panel printed on these materials aims to take a jab at the systems, materials, and inequities present in American society. How do we find comic relief when every day is a fight for survival?
The prints were created using a CMYK process, combining cyan, magenta, yellow, and black to create a vibrant, colorful image with clear representation. These images are also replicable- their novelty relies not on the actual print, but the material used as canvas. To account for non-flat metal surfaces, two prints were done on sticker vinyl, cut, and transferred to the warped metal sheets. Other surfaces were printed directly. The drop-ceiling tile (since lost in the process of moving) was left purposely out of registration, expressing the de-stabilization that occurs when a neglected rental property finally falls apart, leaving its inhabitants without shelter or aid.