In the arena of political art, Stephen Barnwell is the court jester. But even though he uses humor, his work is deadly serious. Barnwell is a visual mischief-maker, poking fun and exposing the hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle. Using the language of capitalism, he deconstructs the cherished icons of our government and society and forces you to re-evaluate your thinking on a great many topics. Barnwell has been both praised and attacked by liberals and conservatives alike, so he must be doing something right!
Capital Offenses is a major new book, containing all of Barnwell's political prints from the past ten years. Barnwell designed the official protest currency for the Occupy Movement, as well as several local currencies. You'll enjoy the United States of Islam, Empire of America, State of War, Conspiracy Nation, the Divided States of America, Ameristan, Indebted States of America, First Nationalized Bank of America, Petroleum Nation, and much, much more.
His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and is in several prestigious collections. Since Barnwell's prints sell for hundreds of dollars in galleries, this book is an incredible value because all the works in Capital Offenses are reproduced at the same size as the originals or larger. Capital Offenses is filled with 181 images, including 17 new works never seen before, created exclusively for this book. If you enjoy political art or political satire, this book belongs in your library!
Through a series of reimagined banknotes, coupons, and stamps, Barnwell, in the manner of much activist art, appropriates the aesthetic of the establishment in order to comment on and critique it. His is an art of juxtapositions and provocation: "Indebted States of America," reads a $1 trillion "Oriental Reserve Note" bearing the signature of erstwhile U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and featuring a presidential portrait of "Chairman Dow"—who looks very much like Mao Zedong. More controversial perhaps is the "United States of Islam" series: U.S. currency depicting scenes of historical Islamic military victories, such as the fall of Jerusalem in 638 C.E. But Barnwell's criticism is not limited to foreign policy and finance. With "American Excess," a coupon similar to an antiquated bearer bond that depicts Uncle Sam tied to an oil rig, he ably criticizes the extent to which energy and other corporate interests influence American government and imperil the nation's future. Barnwell's work exposes the contradictions and hypocrisy of various power structures and even underscores the intricate elegance of currency as an aesthetic experience.
