70+ Artists Transform Matchboxes for Joy Machine's 'General Strike'

"The concept of a general strike is appealing to many advocates and activists because, in the face of oppression or inequality, it's one of the few options available to the general public. General strikes are sometimes thought of as the "people's veto," and for the un-unionized among us, are less about joining our colleagues on the picket lines and more a call for solidarity. They ask us to pinpoint our strengths and identify how our skills can best be of use."

"Writing about the need and dream of solidarity, activist and novelist Sarah Schulman describes recognition, risk, and creativity as the essential tools in harnessing "the people power necessary to reach the tipping point that transforms lives and, in the most extreme conditions of brutality, actually saves lives." For artists, these three tenets-recognition, risk, and creativity-are often already the building blocks of a practice."

"In General Strike, we witness more than 70 approaches to a singular object: a large, wooden matchbox. Containing purple-tipped matchsticks, these vessels of potential display a wide array of mediums and methodologies offered by artists across North America. While some revel in whimsy, beauty, and the pleasures of life, others direct us toward bold, decisive action. All, in their own ways, speak to an innate impulse to transform something simple into another thing entirely."

An exhibition of more than 70 matchbox artworks opens in Chicago on November 21, each built around a large wooden matchbox containing purple-tipped matchsticks. The concept of a general strike is presented as an accessible tactic and a call for solidarity that asks individuals to identify their strengths and how skills can be of use. Recognition, risk, and creativity are invoked as essential tools for harnessing people power. Artists often embody those tenets through discerning observation, personal risk, and imaginative practice. The works range from whimsical and beautiful to urgent calls for decisive action, transforming a simple object into varied expressions of response.

Read at Colossal