Propaganda 2008. From Nov 8th through Nov 24th, 2008. 
ArtCenter/South Florida (ACSF) announces Propaganda 2008, an exhibition created and curated by the Propaganda Collective. Presided over by Chairman Panda (Roxy Ramos), in alliance with the National Corndog Federation (Aimee Sauer), the printmaking installation that satirizes mass consumption and communication is being held under the auspices of Lips, Inc. (Larazo Amaral). Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer and candy-flavored drinks by Vitamin Energy will be on tap at the event slated for Saturday, November 8th at 7:00 p.m. at ArtCenter/South Florida’s 924 Lincoln Road location.
In addition to the ground floor show, Sauer, Ramos and Amaral will exhibit in the large vitrine above the building’s main entrance. Manuel Sanchez, a senior student at New World School of the Arts, will improvise and react to the artists’ works through dance, costume and props. This event is free and open to the public; Propaganda will be on view until November 24th, 2008.
Propaganda is a screen-printing show that explores the works of three artists and their individual interpretations of mass production, globalization and sexuality as it pertains to pop culture. Sauer’s pieces address 1950s all-American advertisements, weaving kitschy and sexual innuendos with consumerist messages. Her self-proclaimed pride in US national delicacies including "chicken in a bucket" and "cheese in a can" are only eclipsed by her love of the corndog, “Where else but in America can one have all of the excess and none of the guilt – on a stick?” said Sauer. The artist’s cheeky humor, combined with her background in printmaking, Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Florida State University and professional graphic design career, led her to ArtCenter/South Florida’s printmaking class with Amaral in summer 2007.
At the other extreme, Ramos was moved by the prevalent ephemera of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Replacing the coup of the Proletariat with a cause for sensuality, her conjured Chairman character encourages wealth and "the good life." A product of the MTV era, Ramos was raised on music videos, mass media and pop culture. In 2005, the artist’s visit to Shanghai and Beijing (China) inspired her Chairman Panda moniker, which, not unlike Ronald McDonald or Joe Camel, is both a symbol for capitalism and consumption. Perhaps Chinese revolutionary Deng Xiaoping infamous words, "to get rich is glorious," best captures the excessive absurdity evoked by her pieces and their sexual underpinnings. Ramos obtained her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Communication Design with a minor in Advertising from the Savannah College of Art (Atlanta, Georgia) and joined Amaral’s printmaking class at ACSF in winter 2008.
Sauer and Ramos’ installations parallel the dichotomies of East and West, whereas Amaral’s is the raw center of the two concepts. Lips, Inc., an installation by ACSF print-making and silkscreen instructor Lazaro Amaral, literally uses the mouthpiece and other symbols of physical pleasure as an expression of consumption and sexuality to feed the installation as a whole. Amaral, who joined ArtCenter/South Florida in 1996 as an artist-in-residence, is among the renowned teachers of the ArtStudies program. Continuously creating in the present to relate to current happenings, he explores various mediums including drawing, print-making and illustration. Amaral has managed artistic projects for MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Coca Cola, Sony and The Miami Herald, in addition to being featured in numerous publications.
ArtCenter/South Florida
924 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.674. 8278
www.artcentersf.org
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