UNITED STAKES OF AMERICA
81x60 cm
Digital Art
2016
This was my first fully digital project, which had the goal of showing an outsider’s perspective on the 2015 presidential elections, in which the two contestants were fighting for the nation as if it were a piece of meat. Additionally, to further add to the map-like design, each city and capital was placed in the correct geographical positions.
INTRODUCTION
This work is connected to the “Animal Elections 2016” project, this time portraying the prey that both Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump aspired to The United States of America. The project focuses specifically on the USA part of the continent, leaving Canada and Mexico as unfocused pieces. The US is portrayed as a steak, effectively becoming "The United Steaks of America", which remains as the USA when written as an acronym.
SYMBOLIC CHOICES
I chose the steak not only for how it stood out when represented on the map, but also because it's considered a delicacy from people and animals, which further blurs the line between the candidates' human and animal representations. The contrast between irony and realism is further emphasized as the cities are placed in the correct geographical spots as they would be on a real map of the United States. This work aims to show how both candidates view their nation as nothing more than a prize to claim for their enjoyment.