The series is entitled The Cults of the Famous and the Dead (an allusion to Don Delillo’s novel White Noise) which is focused on a sociological and political look at the 2021 Capitol insurrection in relation to the rise of domestic neo-fascism and Trumpism during the past decade. Using various techniques such as 3D-modeling, artificial intelligence, photogrammetry, architectural rendering, and archival research, these photo-based works for this series incorporate multiple themes ranging from the visual and verbal semiotics of Trumpism in relation to violence framed by white supremacy and late stage capitalism to the interconnections between neoclassical styles and Nazi aesthetic theory rooted in the concept of Ruinenwert. Much of my interest in this historical event stemmed from the spring of 2021 when I found out that my artistic mentor and ex-friend who was a painter and shoemaker became an avid participant in the Capitol insurrection. I completed further 3D architectural model imagery as well as this photo book recently.
-Albert Abdul-Barr Wang