Philjames The General Lee (1984–2018)
oil on archival pigment print on cotton rag (colour photograph from artist’s personal archive)
106 x 158 cm; 110.5 x 162.5 cm framed
This is a photo of my siblings and me watching The Dukes of Hazzard when we were little. On screen is ‘The General Lee’, which at the time I just thought was a dope car with a cool pattern on the roof (the confederate flag), completely unaware of American/world history and equally unaware of the history of my country. I’m increasingly interested in just how much politics was fed to me as a child. The characters are quoted from 1940s Hollywood animation studios, which produced propaganda for the US military.
While I cherish this family moment, I realise how pervasive media can be in shaping young minds.
Philjames, 2020