Political Advertisement 2012

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