Artist Ben Turnbull and his alter-ego Q, both Londoners, unveiled a large-scale guerilla wild-posting, MAGABUCK, in the capital of American independence, Philadelphia, on December 1. The multi-sheet poster depicts a dollar bill, and a collage of vintage comics they have collected over decades. Themes of corruption, power, and cyclical history reflect America’s complex identity and MAGABUCK symbolizes the commodification of power and jingoism. The work invites viewers to reflect on their relationship with these themes.
A veteran street artist, Turnbull reflects on the nation’s new unsettling, normal reality, with the MAGA phenomenon and the resurgence of extremist ideologies echoing in all corners of the land. MAGABUCK draws chilling parallels to D.W. Griffith’s 1915 Birth of a Nation, a “classic” film that, when it was released, mythologized Jim Crow and legitimized white supremacy. It was President Woodrow Wilson’s favorite film to show to his guests at the White House. Turnbull’s MAGABUCK is a counter-narrative.
In its illegal posting, MAGABUCK is an act of defiance, with Turnbull viewing the audience’s reactions as an integral part of the experience. Acts of defacement or critique are expected, and welcome.
This is part of a larger project that will culminate in a major show, Rebirth of a Nation, in London from March 24 to April 10, 2025, including a depiction of Abraham Lincoln’s statue against the riotous backdrop of contemporary American iconography, among other reimagined icons and memes.
I asked Turnbull how Q came to possess his mortal form and also to address his split personality as a key attribute of his public and provocative design.
Ben, incredible piece of work, can you tell me how it came to be?
The honest truth and short answer is I became someone else – Candidate Q
The longer, more complex answer is that Ben Turnbull had given up. He was tired, frustrated, and genuinely felt he had nothing left to say. Dark times indeed.
It’s a cliché to admit to thoughts of ending it all (all artists go through ups and downs), but it’s safe to say that Q was a resurrection moment – a rebirth for a man who had spent too long trying to please a world that didn’t deserve him. As The Smiths said: “Why do I give valuable time to people who don’t care if I live or die?”
Q has no such hang-ups. The thrill and ecstasy that he obtains from producing artwork is enough of a drug to keep him happy. Unused intellect has inspired the creativity of Q. The controlled split-personality order has devised a new way of working: Turnbull is the technician; Q is the artist.
I’m interested in the range of symbolism. Would you explain your inspiration, influence, and origins?
It’s a challenge and a bit of a conundrum when you want to create a piece that incorporates fascist elements. Where do you draw the line in terms of taste?
Fortunately, Q, the alter ego, has no boundaries or quandaries in this department (the freedom and inhibition of the second personality?).
To represent the Dollar Bill as a prophecy of doom, Q forewarned of an apocalyptic fallout by using pop cultural elements: the Punisher heads brandished by right-wing Patriots’ Prayer, comic superhero shields waved by Proud Boys at MAGA rallies.
There is also something liberating about the artwork acting as a billboard. The irony is that the more out in the open it is, the less bothered you seem to be about any controversies within the work. Degenerate Pop (Q’s own brand).
How long did this take Q to finish and what challenges did Q and/or you face?
Time and money, as usual. What you have to consider is that Turnbull quit art. He returned to the real world, with all the tube zombies, and worked two or three different jobs of varying degrees of hideousness to pay for Q’s privilege to make art.
As a result, Magabuck took three and a half months to complete.
It is an arrangement that suits both parties now. It creates a “reset” feeling, bringing back the element of magic needed when creating, something that seemed to have been educated right out of Turnbull’s soul.
Has it been defaced as yet by vandals or police?
It was either stolen or removed within 24 hours of being put up. But that is all part of the fun. Has someone stored away some crinkled-up paper, hoping for a big payday (good luck with that), or was it scraped off and tossed into the bin in total disgust?
The Texas intervention of Magasound had another bizarre outcome. The bottom half was removed after a couple of days (the section depicting a field of fluttering Nazi flowers), leaving Julie Andrews standing with the missiles flying above her head. Wonderful stuff!
The important thing is that these artistic statements go up. We did it. We have proof of it. Q’s point is made, and we move on to the next one.
It is part of a larger exhibition in London, what other works will you be showing?
It sure is. MAGABUCK is just one of a number of major pieces in an exhibition that has taken two years to accumulate, titled Rebirth of a Nation. The plan is to exhibit Q’s journey through the American paste-ups and billboards alongside the studio-based originals. People will be able to understand the full process of how the work was made from cut-up comic collections and other throwaway print materials. Unbelievably, nothing was bought new for this project. Q used all of Turnbull’s offcuts and leftovers to create his own Brave New World. There will be documentary footage and photography from the streets of New York, Texas, Philly, and beyond.
It is truly a beast of a project that has morphed and grown into something unrelenting, but it will be a celebration of the many facets of Turnbull, Q, and his team.
I’ve always been engaged by street art — murals especially — but what do you think the impact of your piece will have on viewers?
Q’s art is generated to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.
The American people have made their choice in this election, and Q’s prophetic artwork has alarmingly become a reality. The next stage will be to see if it alters people’s perceptions. Do we even live in a world that cares, though? One can only hope.
What’s next for you?
Q is currently considering a project that will shift from outside spaces to something that comes directly to people’s homes. A kind of Amazon-meets-art idea that will provide everyone with something all too necessary. Apocalyptic times, my friend. Over and out, Q.
The post The Daily Heller: Q’s Art Comforts the Disturbed and Disturbs the Comfortable appeared first on PRINT Magazine.