Dan Tague Money Prints- 04.07.08
I bet you’re having one of those “i wish i had thought of that first” moments… yes we all have $$$ bills and scanners, have probably played with origami or silly money folding tricks in our childhood… but Dan Tague has stepped up and taken it to the next level using this combination to make politically provocative prints 20 something inches wide (and bigger!).
Dan Tague - “Cash Rules Everything Around Me” runs from March 29, 2008 through Apr 19, 2008 at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans. Above - THE END IS NEAR & TRUST NO ONE… LIAR. See some of my favorites from his show after the jump - including: We Trust Liars, He is a liar. State of Fear. The American Idol. I Hate War. Hunt For Oil. The Heat is On. In God We Trust, Serve The State.
Dan Tague’s Statement about the work:
The appeal and power of money are the issues at the core of this series. In a capitalist society cash rules everything. Society teaches us that you can buy love, happiness, and status through possessions. You can even right wrongs by taking away a bit of someone’s happiness through fines and lawsuits. Politicians buy votes through claims of lowering taxes, in other words letting us hold on to a little more of status… upper, lower, upper-lower class. Income tax, sales tax, and property tax all fund the war on terror, war on drugs, war on poverty, war on morality, etcetera. In fact our consumer pursuit of happiness is the cause and solution for all of these wars.
So in order to convey the allure of cash I relied on the aesthetic qualities of the bills. Detailed decorative engravings, masterful portraits and architectural renderings, and elegant fonts create a decadent allure. I further the effect with folds and twists to abstract the imagery and create a collage of wonderful images.
Folding the bills has another purpose to create narrative. The folds are precise and calculated in order to convey messages amidst the appeal of the abstracted imagery. The messages are political in nature ranging from local issues directed at rebuilding New Orleans with phrases like Unite NOLA and Home is a Tent. The proceeds of this photograph go to UNITY of Greater New Orleans to help out with the homeless crisis in our city. Other messages relate issues of terror and war with State of Fear and Hunt for Oil. While others deal with religion, God is American, and politicians, Trust No One. Then there is the ultimate praise of money in a capitalist world as the The American Idol.
Dan Tague was great this past weekend at White Linen night in New Orleans.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30651214&id=1275458848
Be sure to check out his new work “Fist Talk” on the gallery website
or check us out on facebook to find out more about Dan and his work.
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Jonathan Ferrara Gallery
----- Jonathan Ferrara Gallery 06.08.09 13:25