Twenty Artists Critique the Trauma of Labor Under US Capitalism

Notes on the machinemachine group show opening

Me, reading. Image credit: Charissa Lucille

On Friday, November 15, I read an old poem of mine to a room of friends and strangers, at the opening of machinemachine at The Project Space in Phoenix. The show is a critique of the trauma of labor under capitalism, and my three artworks focused on how the industrial food system exploits the workers who pick and process food that ends up at the grocery store. To complete the loop, I read a poem I wrote set at a dysfunctional family dinner table — the institution the industrial food system serves.

From L to R, artworks by Timothy Haider, me, and Marlaina Larsen Thorslev Image credit: Charissa Lucille

My three artworks are titled Working in a Field of Green$, The Grocery Store is Hungry, and How Secure is Your Food? They’re a combination of collage (newspaper food ads) and linocut stamps and I experimented with layering them. Some of it was born out of practicality — I wanted to re-use as many of the stamps as I could — but I’m happy with the end effect. (And plan to write more about the triptych in 2025.) The poem I read is titled This Is A Normal Family Dinner and was published in 2019 in Write On, Downtown. Looking back, I can see the clear through line of my interest in food as a complicated subject even though I didn’t see it at the time.

machinemachine

Row 1: Art by Timothea Haider, me, Marlaina Larsen Thorslev. Row 2: Art by Marlaina Larsen Thorslev, Misako Yamazaki, Celleste Murtagh. Row 3: Art by Liz Miller, Charissa Lucille, Dempsey Keenan. Image credit: Charissa Lucille

A few other artworks commented on food: Marlaina’s quilt about meat processing (image 4 above), Celeste’s acrylic on cardboard asking if food worker’s hands ever stop hurting (image 6 above), and maryhope’s collage “Just Need Food” (image 9 below.)

Row 1: Artworks by Michelle Dawn, Sean Avery Medlin, Maira McDermott, Row 2: Artworks by Michelle Dawn, Charissa Lucille, AmyLou Bogen, Row 3: Artworks by Emma Bush, Tori Holder, maryhope | whitehead | lee Image credit: Charissa Lucille

Artists included in the expanded machinemachine exhibit: Marlaina Larsen Thorslev, Stacy LeFevre, Michelle Dawn, Pigeon Inkwell & Zoe Sugg, maryhope|whitehead|lee, Maira McDermott, Sean Avery Medlin, AmyLou Bogen, Liz Miller, Dempsey Keenan, Celleste Murtagh, Timothea Haider, Misako Yamazaki, Tori Holder, Emma Bush, Tonissa Saul, and Haley Orion.

Artworks by Haley Orion, Tonissa Saul, and Dempsey Keenan Image credit: Charissa Lucille

What else do you make for the anti-capitalist party besides

Alicia Kennedy

’s vegan Carrot-Ginger Cake? (Caroline Saunders’ Bourbon loaf cake and Teresa Finney’s Piloncillo Sweet Potato Cake were also on my list but I ran out of time to make more than one.)

The cake was a hit!

I’ve never had art in a show before, and only started working publicly on visual art this year. My foray was guided and encouraged by many kind people. In the opening remarks for the show, curator Charissa Lucille said they were able to include every artist/artwork who submitted to the call for art. I see the show’s expansion as wide open arms and education in action.

How do you make and show art? Learn through doing it with folks who are sharing knowledge.

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The Good Enough Weekly comes out on Fridays, alternating essays and shorter updates. I also take on freelance editing and writing projects. Reach out if you’re looking for help in those departments — I’ve worked on everything from zines to textbooks.