Politics as Symbol/Symbol as Politics August 14, 2012

Politics is simultaneously about substance and symbol. If art is in part spectacle, there is no political spectacle to match an American presidential election. Each such contest produces thousands of images and scenes, almost every one planned and executed like a work of art, be it a poster, portrait, or performance. This exhibit includes works ranging from buttons to historic photographs to highly politicized prints to abstract art. They are mostly not about presidents or presidential elections; rather, they explore the relationship between politics and image, emphasizing more the symbol than the substance. But perhaps that captures one essence of politics in general, and U.S. politics in particular.