Idiot America
Idiot America
“Trusted sources were ignored, but the internet was believed without question.”
Created during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this painting critiques the spread of misinformation and the dismissal of scientific facts fueled by media narratives. Serving as both commentary and mockery, the work highlights the consequences of blindly accepting misleading information and encourages critical thinking in times of uncertainty.
“Backing up the data”
Using a papier-mâché mixture made from COVID-19 news clippings, I layered headlines that stood out for their misinformation, fear, and conflicting narratives. By repeatedly applying these articles until the surface was completely covered, the work mirrors how overwhelming and inescapable media noise became during the pandemic.
I then proceeded to paint a COVID-19 germ alongside a spaceman to emphasize the surreal and disorienting nature of the pandemic. The virus imagery represents the invisible yet omnipresent threat that dominated everyday life, shaping fear, behavior, and public discourse despite being unseen. In contrast, the spaceman symbolizes distance, isolation, and detachment from reality, reflecting how misinformation and denial caused many people to feel removed from the gravity of the crisis, as if it were happening on another planet. The figure also alludes to the way society looked outward for escape rather than confronting the immediate reality at hand. Together, the germ and the spaceman create a visual tension between urgency and detachment, grounding the work in the chaos of the moment while critiquing the disconnect between scientific reality and public perception.
