CHICAGO — Artist Paul Perkins sees the problems created by capitalism. But, instead of providing subtle critique or some perceptive angle or even a conversation starter, he regurgitates what we already know. Perkins’s exhibition at Chicago’s Peanut Gallery attempts to tackle American capitalism through three-dimensional sculptures and sculptural paintings made of dollar-store materials. Perkins depicts Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme, the killing of Treyvon Martin, Captain America’s downfall, attempts at winning the lottery, and the sad characters of Sesame Street.
Perkins presents portraits of the obvious without inserting anything for the viewer to gnaw on or even think about. It’s like taking a bite out of a candy bar that one knows was produced by underpaid workers in a factory in middle America, and just swallowing it and saying “hey dude, that was pretty tasty even though where it came from is fucked up!” instead of spitting it out and questioning where it came from and what that means for America.
Read the full review on Hyperallergic: http://hyperallergic.com/62653/the-failures-of-an-artist-versus-the-failures-of-america/
