The philosophy of now is the sum of an image. It is given in the instant – a reflection of our own self-absorption. Anthony Haden-Guest captures the age of unease in a series of cartoons that embody the wry, almost gallows humor of a world on the edge. Shuffling toward the precipice, we might notice our impending downfall if only we’d look up from our phones. With a little distance, Haden-Guest lampoons contemporary narcissism in a 100-day presentation of spontaneous insight into the zeitgeist. Quasi-political, almost cultural, always critical, these cartoons speak to the frustration roiling beneath the mirror’s surface, hidden behind the amusing distractions of American society, waiting to scream. The humor is disarming, allowing us to reflect on the uncomfortable situation while poking a little fun at ourselves and those self-destructive habits that keep us going even while they keep us apart. We are living in a collective dream that induces deluding self-affirmation, turning the American dream into the American scream – a laugh riot caught in a meme.
Anthony Haden-Guest: The American Scream
Past exhibition
3 November 2020 - 10 February 2021
