Dread Scott

"IN 2025, fascism is rapidly being consolidated in America. Along with gutting the rule of law, the military occupation of cities, unbridled violence and cruelty, the support of Palestinian genocide, overt racism, the suppression of dissent, and the shameless substitution of propaganda for truth, this US fascism relies on nationalism (including the division of society into those who belong as Americans and those who do not) and unquestioning patriotism."

"I started making work that directly addressed political issues and American patriotism as a young art student in 1987. The US had recently invaded Grenada and had supported military intervention in El Salvador. Greed and selfishness were considered virtues. America was waging a war on drugs, which was really a war on poor Black and brown communities that ended up warehousing a generation of young people in prison."

""American Newspeak . . . Please Feel Free," 1988, was a series of installations that featured photomontages and encouraged the audience to write their responses in books that were part of the artwork. Some of the montages included phrases from George Orwell's 1984, such as WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. Throughout, I deployed the American flag as a recurring image to tie the oppression that was the subject of the work to the soul of the country."

Fascism is described as rapidly consolidating in America in 2025, accompanied by erosion of the rule of law, military occupation of cities, widespread violence, and state-sanctioned cruelty. The regime supports Palestinian genocide, practices overt racism, suppresses dissent, and replaces truth with propaganda. Nationalism and enforced patriotism are used to divide society into those considered American and those excluded. Work directly addressing political issues and American patriotism was created beginning in 1987 by a young art student responding to US interventions, the war on drugs, and flag-wrapped Reagan-era policies. Early photomontage installations used Orwellian slogans and recurring American-flag imagery to link oppression to the nation's core and to depict resistance.

Read at Artforum