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Political Advertisement 2012

Antonio Muntadas

2012 01:24:00 United StatesEnglishB&W and ColorStereo4:3Video
Tags:
Advertisement(s), History, Media Analysis, Politics

Description

The latest in Muntadas and Reese's series documenting the selling of the American presidency features political ads from the 1950s to ads from the 2012 campaigns, and highlights the development of the political strategy and marketing techniques of the TV campaign process.

Edited without commentary, the artists show an endless stream of candidates, from Eisenhower to Obama, who are marketed like commercial products. As Muntadas and Reese trace the development of the campaign TV spot, what becomes apparent is a consistent sameness of political issues amid complex, changing visuals.

"One of the brightest spots in the quadrennial US election scene are the Muntadas/Reese Political Ads. Their long-running program of TV and online ads traces the evolution (devolution?) of the sale of the US presidency (and legislature) to the highest bidder via the lowest common denominator."

— Robert Atkins, Art Historian and Writer

Antoni Muntadas was born in Barcelona in 1942, and has lived in New York since 1971. His work addresses social, political and communications issues, and the relationship between public and private space within social frameworks, as well as channels of information and the ways they may be used to censor central information or promulgate ideas. He works on projects in different media such as photography, video, publications, Internet and multi-media installations. Since 1995, Muntadas has grouped together a set of works and projects titled On Translation emphasizing issues of interpretation, transcription and cultural translation. Their content, dimensions and materials are variable, and focus on the author’s personal experience and artistic activity in numerous countries over forty years.

Also see:
Antoni Muntadas: Video Portrait