Always Shameless presents new work by Spanish artist Eugenio Merino. The name of the show riffs on the 1993 Coca Cola slogan “Always,” and the sculptures objectify infamous politicians from around the world. The central pieces stuff the heads or bodies of characters such as Francisco Franco, George Bush, and Vladimir Putin inside of Coca Cola coolers. Evocative of pop culture and of funeral imagery, the sculptures suggest that corporate waste is an appropriate coffin for a politician. “Always Shameless” has proved to be quite provocative, and Merino has gone to court twice to defend his representation of Franco. Insofar, the artist has won out, but his legal problems are a telling reminder that freedom of expression cannot be taken for granted. See the exhibit for yourself this week at UNIX Gallery in New York.
Images courtesy of Unix Gallery and Eugenio Merino
