Raymond Pettibon’s particular brand of U.S.-inspired lunacy feels more astute now than ever—perfect timing then for a major survey exhibition at New Museum, New York.
There are overtly timely references in A Pen of All Work—Trump’s highlighter-hued barnet and putty face make an appearance standing, dead-eyed, in front of a flopping American flag—amongst a wider vision of the States, an ongoing source of inspiration for Pettibon which swings between the savagely frank (“They are innocent enough as long as they are regarded as mere toys”) to the outright surreal (“Rebellion… rebellion against toilet-training”).
Mickey Mouse, napalmed victims, a grubby Statue of Liberty and New York’s instantly recognisable skyline are all present and tightly packed—as is often the way with curation of Pettibon’s shows—and together they paint an image of a twisted and contradictory America that existed long before this most recent, though undeniably hideous, iteration. Is Trump closer to the ever-grinning Mickey Mouse or the foolish Bush, depicted in No Title (The war, now…), (2008) as a self-serving press-pleaser hoping to avoid his “cowardly” father’s legacy? It’s probably too soon to tell. In this cartoonish version of America, he appears merely as another inevitable bad decision, following on from a stream of self-serving, morally bankrupt previous decisions.
The works, en masse, have an undeniably savage and political message, but they’re also humorous, fun and entertaining to view. Much like his home country, Pettibon knows how to put on a show from which it’s very difficult to look away.
‘Raymond Pettibon: A Pen of All Work’ is showing until 9 April at New Museum, New York
