pyramids of the capitalist system, old and new

Here is a 1911 poster that provides a visual interpretation of the capitalist economic system. Capitalism sustains itself, in large measure, by "naturalizing" itself; by convincing us that it is the natural order of the world. The pyramids attempt to illustrate the all-too-human hierarchy that this system rests upon, and invite us to imagine the possibility of knocking the whole edifice over.

For the artist a description of the poster, click here.




Below is an attempt at updating the poster for today. Capitalism has undergone significant changes in the last century, but the basic structure of exploitation, domination, and suppression of revolt has persisted. It was produced by Crimethinc. ex-workers collective. Their website has a number of other posters and written works that are very influential in contemporary anarchist circles.

Posters from Cuba

This is a blog with mainly cinema posters by Cuban graphic designers but also some movement art. CUBAN POSTERS

René Mederos has combined playful graphics, photo montage and an element of surrealism to create this sinister, dramatic image of Nixon as a bird of prey ripping the heart out of North Vietnam and Laos. The bird has the look of a Nazi-era eagle.

Solidarity with Palestine - Abelenda 1968
This 1968 poster once again mixes a very serious political issue - the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine - with some inventive and bright graphics. The warm colours and psychedelic text create a positive vibe. The heroic armed character is the romantic view of the defender of Palestine. Cuban support of Palestine is typical of the anti-Western sentiment that flows through the graphics and iconography of its poster output.

Mas Revolucion

Mas Revolucion (More Revolution) is a text only poster proclaiming war on a variety of imperialist traits - vice, egoism, exploitation, individualism, etc. Compared to a lot of Cuban posters this is very restrained but it still makes great use of scrapbook style cartoon font - once again a playful and fun style for a serious message.

I don't know the date, the agency that issued this or the artist. I suspect Bachs but similar font style turns up in posters by a number of artists.

Hasta la Victoria Siempre - Rostgaard 1968

One of the more famous Cuban posters, this 1968 poster by Rostgaard for a Santiago Alvarez documentary makes use of Korda's iconic image of Che Guevara. Hasta la Victoria Siempre (Onwards Forever to Victory) is Che's declaration of commitment to the revolutionary struggle. It's a simple pop-art style poster that places Che's iconic image in a heavy-bordered black box - a common method of displaying images of the dead in some cultures.

Journal of Aesthetics and Protest: Acting/working together/acknowleging history

We Issue 5 Journal editors meet together at this brown kitchen table, often with wine or beer. Sometimes in the middle of our meeting, we go outside for cigarette breaks. We talk to explore ways of action and to agree on what is worth printing for you. It is difficult to schedule meeting times. With jobs, childcare, social lives and private time, it seems like we are always finding that one shelf spot behind the raisins to place this project. We frequently disagree on the simplest of terms (language and exchange); when disagreeing we try hard not to see conflict as a problem. We’ve all shared significant experience. We share a desire for social change and visions of the many ways in which it may or may not occur. When speaking and listening to one another we remember collective histories. We seek contexts to make use of these histories. We try embracing differences, either bridging gaps or gaping at the chasms. Ultimately, we now try to appreciate whatever we have between us.

How do we say we?

Arguably, today the act of social networking is commodified more visibly and materially than ever before, so we are not here lightly focusing on ourselves.
This commodification shoudn't hinder us to work in relation ship to one another and in a social and political context. Social memory with a sense of history and political demands seems to have undergone an accelerated and profound erasure. This rapid memory loss is facilitated by media consolidation and the plundering of public education programs to fund global mercenary actions.

In art production the commodification of the social and the erasure of the political is expressed as relational aesthetics, a pseudo-democratic practice that often is reflective of the values of global capitalism.

However, there is some value to the art world's focus on social relations and community. Collaboratively writing this forward, relational aesthetics came up with the magazine’s content. Situating ourselves into a social context is difficult because one is dealing with people's complexities. Recently, the Journal had the opportunity to collaborate with people whose actions we feared might alienate our readership. We faced a tough decision- piss on an opportunity or piss off our community. We decided to check in with our community; asking them, “what do you think about this situation…”, thus choosing to act as though someone holds us accountable. In printing our magazine the important thing is the relationship- building up and maintaining value in the trust that others put in each other toward shared ideals.

How can we work together?