ZOZOBRA

Zozobra is a Spanish word for distress. The Mexican philosopher Emilio Uranga has used the term to describe a specific form of existential anxiety related to uncertainty and ambiguity, following its usage by the poet Ramón López Velarde. The term has been used to describe the feelings of uncertainty and distress in the United States due to the confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the political events of the Trump presidency and 2020 U.S. presidential election (and now include Trump's re-election in 2024). These feelings and reactions persist today across the world where the level of anxiety is growing in unison with western leaders increasingly undermining democracy and the rule of law. The works included here are representations of this state of being.

CORRUPTION

Adam Strange continues his observations on the Essentia. This collection of artefacts expound how corruption breeds rot and decay of identity and the physical body. Capitalism, war crimes, post-truth, disease and greed, transfigure the subjects shown. The unconstrained degeneracy of society leads us to ruination of the planet for profit. Human putrescence can manifest in small intangible ways such as internet memes and government laws, or as collective trauma of groups and societies resulting in violence, death or extinction. Concentrated observation upon the artwork reveals the details of a sickening nature in humanity festering within our world, consuming life like maggots on death. This view opens us to the profane and the decrepit monuments we will leave behind.