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A New Tomorrow That Starts Today (2021)

 

A New Tomorrow That Starts Today draws inspiration from the comic-book world, while also using a B-movie and sci-fi aesthetic language. A mutant, in comics and sci-fi literature is a human that received a certain power or physical characteristic as a result of a mutation. It is a superpower or an eccentric appearance that transforms this person into a sort of super-human. 

 

Meir Tati's new installation depicts a series of mutants, whose faces are composed of fragmented diverse political leaders, such as Trump, Netanyahu, Putin, Erdoğan and many more. The superpower these politicians obtain is the power given to them by the citizens, and this is how they became "super-humans". The mouth in the video addresses the audience with a series of re-edited monologues, taken from various comic-book based movies, especially from a specific moment when the antagonist (the villain who fights the hero) explains his motives for world destruction – the world that the heroes are bound to protect. The antagonist's agenda is usually a summary of values that Hollywood (or America) is against. Subsequently, while reviewing the history of these films, it is possible to detect the change in the nature of the villains, in accordance to the nature of the state's enemies at the time, for instance: Russian, Arabs, Chinese and more, alongside the manifestations of their ideologies, such as Socialism, Communism, financial and moral corruption, hyper-Capitalism and failing corporate culture. Through the monologues of the mutants – a mixture of the words spoken by the hero/leader and the antagonist – questions regarding the agendas of each side arise; what is it that the hero/leader is trying to protect? What is this "democracy"? What is the "west"? 

 

The video at the centre of the work reaches viewers by connecting to their collective fears. The act of construction and deconstruction of the texts from the movies sheds new light on the way political ideologies can find their way to the minds of the viewers, the audience, the citizens, and the people. This work is a continuation of Tati's artistic practice, drawing inspiration from current political affairs while referencing pop-culture and the world of sci-fi and comic books; mixing documentary and fiction, by creating complex installations that ask questions regarding our perception of reality and history. 

Installation view, Mattress Factory Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Action Number 11, Mattress Factory Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Installation view, Mattress Factory Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Action Number 11, performance, Mattress Factory Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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