Artist and self-proclaimed activist Illma Gore has chosen a bizarre act of painting a wall mural with blood. That’s right, blood. Apparently, Donald Trump’s bonafide win of the presidency has yet to stop triggering some fragile expressionists.
The sheer irony that the artist’s last name is Gore is quite apropos. Gore is a member of Indecline, an artist collective. The group is credited for the naked Donald Trump statue installations that appeared last summer in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Cleveland, and New York City.
“A leader is a reflection of its people, and this is exactly a reflection of Trump’s presidency,” Gore explained to ABC7.
It is a far cry from being enlightened– the project is simply nihilistic. Gore has decided to make a character indictment of half the United States before the man they elected has taken office. By using blood as a medium, the message can be interpreted that the artists are saying that Trump and his supporters would be liable for needless bloodshed. This is odd, considering Gore is literally expending blood needlessly with her work.
Over six pints of blood have been donated from approximately 50 neighboring artists, musicians, and activists to Gore’s campaign. The eager nature of participation gives the project an unsettling air of paganism.
“It is a pretty nasty dose of foreshadowing,” a masked member of Indecline stated.
A little tip for artists and writers: one cannot accurately foreshadow a presidency without it having even begun.
Manifestations of art are meant to have a simple and meaningful message. The ability to depict beauty, justice, truth or various combinations of the three (even in adversity) should be the goal no matter the subject. Even if the subject matter of a piece of art is dark–- such as death, disease, or war–-without the balance of light and beauty, the work loses its message.
Gore and Indecline’s act of defiance is an embrace of the grotesque. The artistic relativism could not be more evident than in Gore’s purpose for this piece. She is set on crafting a work that is inspired by what she loathes. This protest is a bloody mess masquerading as activism. It is an absurdity!
Now, some very pointed questions for California’s CDC and the artists include:
- Would the project’s use of blood be considered a bio-hazard?
- Did Indecline discriminate for the quality of blood they accepted for the project?
- If Indecline harvested perfectly healthy blood from viable donors, would it have been more useful to actually host a blood drive for their community?
Performances such as these will not inspire unity, peace, or hope. The social polarization they say they abhor will be fueled by this exhibit. Indecline is throwing an abstract temper-tantrum. Gore is not being clever or transcendent. Her partnership with Indecline is a failed attempt to cope with a result they did not favor. Instead of actively improving their community, Indecline and its affiliates have decided to fortify a safe space within a safe space where they will be unable to escape what is truly ailing them: themselves.
