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The Empire Series (2006 - )
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News The Empire Series (2006 - ) |
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| The pyramid form
of the folded money used in the Empire Series is inspired by the Great
Seal of the United States, found on the reverse of each U.S. Dollar
Federal Reserve note. At the apex of the pyramid, which is constructed
of 13 layers representing the original states, is “The Eye of
Providence,” accompanied by the Latin motto ANNUIT CŒPTIS, signifying
that Providence has “approved of our undertakings.” Below the pyramid
is the Latin inscription NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, meaning a “New Order of
the Ages.” The act of printing the money for this work mirrors the process used by Federal Reserve Banks to create “wealth.” The Empire Series strives to spark a conversation with its audience concerning: Stupid Wars, War Profiteering, Propaganda, Democracy, the American Way of Life, Terrorists, PTSD, Justice, Refugees, Fiat Currencies, Ground Troops, Unaccountability, Military Budgets, Federal Reserve Banks, Deficit Spending, Failed Diplomacy, Hybrid Warfare, Human Rights, Crimes Against Humanity, Liberty, AUMF, SIPRI, Genocide, Global Plunder, Militarism, Unlawful Killings, International Humanitarian Law, Patriotism, Bank Bailouts, Maimed for Life, The Great Recession, Foreign Policy, Manifest Destiny, Novus Ordo Seclorum, Foreign Interventions, Arms Exports, EKIA, Nixon Shock, Paper Money, Bretton Woods System, Military-Industrial Complex, Drone Warfare, Leftover Land Mines, Veterans’ Disability, Orphans, War Wounds, Nightmares, KIA, Civilian Casualties, POW, Refugee Camps, Nationalism, TBI, MDD, War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2007, Escalation, Global Arms Exports, Airstrikes, Freedom, Poverty, ISIS, CIA-Backed Militia, Arms Production, Protracted Wars, Victims, Forced Migration, National Security, Global Arms Industry, Accountability, Collateral Damage, Counterterrorism, Corporate Socialism, Impunity, Economic Hegemony, Trust, Covert Operations, PMSC, GNP, Capitalism, Monroe Doctrine, Repression, Self-Determination, Sovereign Nations, Imperialism, Corporate America, Natural Resources, Global Plunder, Defense Lobby, Economic Sanctions, Mercenaries, Expansionism, the Value of Human Life, the Anti-War Movement, Banana Wars, Instability, American Exceptionalism, Private Armies, Fiscal Responsibility, Human Suffering, IMF, Profit-Driven Collusion, Innocent Lives, 800+ Global Military Bases, Oil, Human Life, the War on Terror, War Crimes, Arms Sales, Military Contracts, Lack of Oversight, 9/11, Tyranny, Ideology, Petro Dollar, Coup d’État, and U.S. Involvement in Regime Change: Mexico (1865-1867), Samoa (1887-1889), Hawai’i (1893), Panama (1903), Honduras (1903-1925), Philippines (1899-1913), Cuba (1906-1909), Nicaragua (1909-1933), Mexico (1913-1919), Haiti (1915-1934), Dominican Republic (1916-1924), Germany (1917-1919), Austria-Hungary (1917-1920), Russia (1918-1920), Panama (1941), Japan (1941-1952), Germany (1941-1949), Italy (1941-1946), Belgium (1944-1945), Netherlands (1944-1945), Philippines (1944-1945), Greece (1947-1949), Costa Rica (1948), Albania (1949-1953), Syria (1949), Korea (1950-1953), Egypt (1952), Iran (1952-1953), Austria (1945-1955), China (1949-1963), Cuba (1953-1958), Guatemala (1954), Costa Rica (1955), Syria (1956-1957), Egypt (1957), Indonesia (1957-1959), Lebanon (1958), South Vietnam (1959-1963), Iraq (1959), British Guiana (1953-1964), Iraq (1963), North Vietnam (1945-1973), Cambodia (1955-1970), Laos (1958-1975), Ecuador (1960-1963), Congo (1960-1965), France (1965), Brazil (1961-1964), Dominican Republic (1963-1966), Bolivia (1964), Vietnam (1964-1975), Indonesia (1965-1967), Cambodia (1967-1975), Ghana (1966), Chile (1964-1973), Greece (1967), Iraq (1972-1975), Ethiopia (1974-1991), Costa Rica (1970-1971), Bolivia (1971), Australia (1973-1975), Angola (1975-1991), Zaire (1975-1978), Cambodia (1979-1993), Afghanistan (1979-1989), Portugal (1974-1976), Jamaica (1976-1980), Poland (1980-1989), El Salvador (1980-1992), Seychelles (1979-1981), Chad (1981-1982), Grenada (1983), South Yemen (1982-1984), Suriname (1982-1984), Fiji (1987), Nicaragua (1981-1990), Iraq (1991-2003), Haiti (1991-1995), Zaire (1996-1997), Indonesia (1997-1998), Panama (1989-1990), Bulgaria (1991), Albania (1991), Afghanistan (1980s), Somalia (1993), Yugoslavia (1999-2000), Ecuador (2000), Afghanistan (2001-2021), Venezuela (2002), Haiti (2004), Palestinian Territories (2006-2007), Syria (2006-present), Iran (2007), Somalia (2007-present), Honduras (2009), Libya (2011), Ukraine (2014), Yemen (2015-present), Venezuela (2007-present),.Iran (1952-present). The War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2007 was introduced to create criminal penalties for war profiteers and others who exploit efforts in conflict areas of the world. It was never passed into law. |
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Empire: Mexico, 2009 (detail) Printed, folded, faux US Dollar Federal Reserve Notes on floor Installation: Galería Nina Menocal, 2009 | |
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Empire (Tank), 2020 Printed, folded, faux US Dollar Federal Reserve Notes and acrylic paint on existing wall | |
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Empire Mexico, 2009 Printed, folded, faux US Dollar Federal Reserve Notes mounted on existing wall Installation view: Oficina de Proyectos Culturales, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico | |
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Volunteers and interns assisting in the folding of false dollar bills. Oficina de Proyectos Culturales, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 2019
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Installation process of Empire: Venezuela, for the exhibition III Bienal del Sur: Pueblos en Resistencia
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 | Empire: National Debt 2019 Printed, folded, faux US Dollar Federal Reserve Notes mounted on existing wall Installation view: Galería Omar Alonso, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
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