Sue Coe ~ Greed and Politics

Sue Coe is one of the most politically oriented living artist. Her work addresses issues such as animal rights, war, consumption, waste head-on. Greed hangs next to one of Robert Colescott's paintings, Knowledge of the Past is the Key to the Future. Colescott is another artist who presents us with political and racial themes. Read reviews of Colescott and you'll find references to humor. Sue Coe shows us no humor and that's what makes her art difficult to view at times. Judith Brody in "Sue Coe and the Press: Speaking Out" starts her review with this:

Exploring with Sue Coe is no gentle stroll through cloistered sanctuaries of art. She makes uncompromising demands. She demands to speak freely. She demands viewers go eye-to-eye with the equivalent of road kill. She demands unflinching openness in full view of painful contradictions. Essentially, Coe demands that we re-examine our assumptions. When reading her books or looking at her images, the natural reaction is to turn away, to shut out horrific truths. One cannot meet her work without encountering resistance. This is inevitable, because this is her intent.

I recommend Brody's article. She not only reviews Coe but also the reviewers who have reviewed Coe - a review of the review that was.

While working on this post, I came across this video. While not directly related to Sue Coe or Greed, it is one of the best short films I've seen in a while. Considering the events in Amy's life and mine this week, I've decided to post it. Watch it and you'll have a look at James Joyce and Samuel Beckett at the Pitch n' Putt.