A new piece and an interactive addition to the Earthen Proverbs is about to be presented for the first time in Tehran in January 2026, and later same year in Rotterdam. Everything is ready and I am excited about the experience.
Join me on Friday, June 6 at @hetwildeweten for a discussion on media and politics, discussing political consumerism, spectacle fatigue, public agency, distraction culture, and more. How does digital culture shape power? Come with your thoughts and curiousity. 18:00–20:30. Drinks, snacks, and paintings exhibition included.
#mediaandpolitics #memeculture #PoliticsOfIdiocracy
Politics of Idiocracy is open and works on display everyday until 15th of June from 16 to 20hr
If you missed the opening, yoi can still make it to see the project
@hetwildeweten
CALL FOR ART MARKET EXPERTS
For the auction event of Politics of Idiocracy in @hetwildeweten , I am on the lookout for people who can help me with organizing the event.
Their tasks:
- Be familiar with the exhibition and to explain the project to the possible audience (candidates can be familiarized with the project by visiting the ongoing exhibition).
- Have a network of collectors, and bring in an audience of collectors and possible buyers for the artworks.
- Performed the auction event by being on stage and call for bids.
This can be one or two individuals, a gallery, or an initiative.
The collaboration can be both on a hire basis, as well as on commission basis.
I am grateful and happy that the opening of Politics of Idiocracy in @hetwildeweten received an engaging and vibrant audience on Friday the 30th of May. During the opening I presented the completed works of the series, a printed archive of related memes from the project's online archive page @politicsofidiocracy , and a video installation from the process of the making of some pieces, and the process of adding the personal last element to each work.
The event sparked so many interesting conversations, and it encouraged me to keep going with this growing project.
After the opening I am now more confident that this theme connects nicely with the audience. Also, the term "Blooper Realism" seems to be the right fit for these paintings. I will keep going using humor and a bit of craft to record these representations of human vulnerability, and use this project to cope with my powerlessness in changing the world, and therefore, change the world.
Thank you all for coming.
The show is still ongoing until 15th of June. If you missed the opening, I will be there everyday from 16:00 to 20:00
Photos by @nasimrazavian ❤️
Minder, minder, minder
Geert Wilders & Joram van Klaveren in th Tweede Kamer
Geert Wilders a well known controversial right-wing politician in the Netherlands is the leader of PVV (Party for Freedom / Partij voor de Vrijheid). Throughout his career he has raised many provocative moments. From promising a ban on immigration from Muslim-majority countries, to promoting a Brexit-style exit of the Netherlands from the European Union, Nexit. But he is not necessarily a memeable person in a way which fits this collection. He has not been photographed being subjected to a ridiculous moment (except the one with a pen pushing the tip of his nose up). So, I had to look hard to find a good meme photograph of him.
During my research, I found this photo of him and Joram van Klaveren, Wilders' right-hand man in PVV. Joram van Klaveren served as a Member of Parliament for the Party for Freedom (PVV) from June 17, 2010, until March 21, 2014. During this period, he was considered a close ally of Geert Wilders and acted as the party's spokesperson on Islam. He left the PVV in March 2014 following controversial remarks by Wilders regarding the Moroccan community in the Netherlands, in which Wilders famously asked the crowd do you like more or less Moroccans? And the crowd responses "minder, minder, minder... / less, less, less".
This was in odds with van Klaveren's view on public image of the party. So he takes a break from politics to focus on a book he always wanted to write against Islam. And long story short, and with his religious Christian background, he falls in love with Islam during the process. Now Mr. van Klaveren is a promoter of Islam and runs different Islamic institutions. Wilders on the other hand, still goes strong with his controversial statements
Added personal element:
Real IND (Dutch Immigration Office) documents that I received during the first 9 years of my immigration were used to complete the seats of the Dutch parliament in the background of this image. The letters are collaged and glued to the background
#geertwilders #joramvanklaveren #meme #painting #PoliticsOfIdiocracy
Rudi Giuliani's Hair Dye Streaks, partt 2
My own sweat was used to paint the dripping dye on Giuliani's face, as well as to darken his hair in the painting. I sweat by exercising in winter clothing in Spring. Then, I washed my clothes in water and boiled the water away to harvest the sweat. The sweat was then mixed with acrylic to paint the sweat
#politicsofidiocracy #meme
Part 1
My own sweat was used to paint the dripping dye on Giuliani's face, as well as to darken his hair in the painting. I sweat by exercising in winter clothing in Spring. Then, I washed my clothes in water and boiled the water away to harvest the sweat. The sweat was then mixed with acrylic to paint the sweat.
#politicsofidiocracy #meme #rudigiuliani
