My new series Bang! Bang! has been developing in my mind over the past several years. A dynamic I refer to is the Wild West, and the chaotic violent reminiscence it brings up. As Americans and across the world we seem to have a nostalgia, a glorification of such times where (mostly) men wore guns at their hip and took shit from no one. To expose this glorification of toughness and aggression with a different eye is part of my process with this new work. I am using an old west style gun, and adding the comical flag that was frequently used in cartoons and children’s toys. These nostalgic images blend together with the fierceness of the message in the work.
As a country we can’t deny our violent history and present.
We murdered and rampaged existing communities .Our police system was based on the dynamic that slaves were property and they be returned to their owners. This very ideology is the bases on which our departments are made. We are still in the wave of the gun being a outward reach of our anger and fear.
My new works are made from gun replicas with a flag I paint by hand, bearing words or an image. This will be a limited edition series. I plan to have about 20 different variations of these works.
The image shown is titled ‘WTF’, Mixed Media Sculpture, Jennifer Randall 2021
