Matthew Deleget

Overlord (American Dream), 2007
Black monochrome, black plastic garbage bag
36 x 33 inches
Edition of 20

The Physics Room
Christchurch, New Zealand, 2008

I was invited by artist/curator Tilman to participate in a group show he was curating called My Eyes Keep Me Trouble. The title came from a raunchy blues standard by legend R. L. Burnside and Tilman asked each artist in the show to contribute a work that addressed the title’s implications. My contribution was Overlord (American Dream). It was a large black monochrome, a plastic garbage bag readymade, unfolded, turned upside down, and simply pinned to the wall. I was attracted to the bag for a variety of reasons. In addition to being utterly valueless, I liked its formal qualities. I primarily paint in acrylic, which is essentially the same material as the bag, pigmented plastic. I also liked the regular grid pattern the bag retained when unfolded.

Overlord (American Dream) is about the war in Iraq. It is about American greed and warmongering for resources. It is about insatiable consumption and disposible everything. My eyes keep in trouble because that want endlessly. I deliberately decided to make Overlord (American Dream) as a mulitple — more stuff, less value, and more consumption.

The exhibition was also accompanied by a catalog that acted as an extension of the exhibition. Rather than publishing images of works included the show and statements by participating artists, Tilman asked each artist to contribute an image and text that again addressed the title of the exhibition. I contributed a downloaded photo of the US Pacific Fleet during a training exercise, taken from the perspective of the vanquished. My text was essentially a litany of complaints.