crab claws and bottles of rum

Vik Muniz. What a man.


I love the versatility in Muniz's work. He's famous for using "unconventional" materials to create his images such as chocolate syrup, sugar, dust, wire, thread, peanut butter, candy, silly putty, etc. and then photographing them. I have dabbled around with a few of these substances, but I've never been able to render an image so crisp as Muniz.

His work is centered around the notion of reinterpretation, replicating famous images in the foreign materials abovementioned. To me, his work speaks specifically to the extreme materialism surrounding said symbolic pictures: they literally become sugar-coated, colorful, and seemingly simple. We are a consumptive people, and cultural icons (I am using the term "icon" liberally, defined as including anything of iconic importance at the moment - the latest fad or hot topic, positive or otherwise) are quickly transformed into franchises.

This is an idea I have also explored, specifically focusing on how materialism softens and distorts truth. I looked speficially at the image of the American soldiers raising the American flag at Iwo Jima. The event was nothing like it became known as (something shiny beacon of American strength, patriotism, whatever), yet it's still known for it. To me, this suggests that the American history and sense of identity is false and sugar coated, represented more by its material consumer value ("hey! this is a nice picture to stir up American nationalism. it'll sell like velveeta to hillbillies. perfect.") and brought up out of consumer convenience rather than necessity. In fact, this image was marketed as a comforting image post September 11th. Why? I don't know, it looks nice on paper, I guess.

In my own reinterpretation of Iwo Jima, I recreated the famed image using nothing but Jelly Belly jelly beans.

Cheers, Vik.

Photos above:
(top) barry le va (diptych), Vik Muniz
(top left) Sigmund, Vik Muniz (both courtesy of the artist's website)
(bottom right) Iwo Jima, Lauren Schleider (photo courtesy of the artist)