Josh MacPhee

Political Graphics Cubes

Josh MacPhee

Political Graphics Cubes

Date

2022

Edition Size

unique

Media

Cardboard, Digital print

Dimensions

18 × 18 × 18 in

Location

Brooklyn, NY

$ 4,800.00

1 in stock


Political Graphic Cubes is an interactive exhibition piece, composed of 18 cubes with 108 different political graphics and images, a different image on every side. Artist, historian, and writer, Josh MacPhee created these graphic cubes as a part of his 2022 exhibition at the Reinberger Gallery at the Cleveland Institute of Art, We Want Everything. This project allows participants to play and dialogue with the historical images that make up visual organizing history.

Each cube is arranged with a mix of themes, as seen in the Political Graphics Cubes Perspectus, so the viewers can engage physically with the work by turning each cube, rearranging it to have a visual conversation. The prospectus also gives citations for each image, which are printed on a vinyl sticker and set on the cube.

“A significant portion of my practice has always been focused on history, and in particular the history of political graphics and imagery. Over the past couple of years I’ve had the opportunity to install a number of exhibitions which pivot around this history, and encourage the audience to engage in this history. One of my main goals for these shows has been to create as many points of entry into this visual language of social movements as possible. One of these is the creation of giant graphic blocks—who doesn’t like to play with blocks? These blocks are a creative tool to engage a wide range of pedagogical questions: media literacy, image iteration and copying, the ownership and copyright of visual ideas, and the history of how images are used by people organizing to change their world.” -Josh MacPhee

The cardboard cubes are deconstructed and are stored in two 38”x38” boxes. They can easily be put together, as seen in this video: