Aymeric Ebrard - G-Module
Santa Hanged
It is a striking image. Gallows built from massive blocks of wood, strong enough to hold even the heaviest of men, standing solemnly in a corner of the hall. Hanging from a noose is Santa Claus, with his face completely covered by his long, white, curly hair. His hat has fallen to the ground; the same ground his feet cannot reach. If they could, he would not be the lifeless fatty he is now. A laughable creature; someone to poke fun at, someone to mock. It is a striking image although it does not provoke sadness. It is not the death of a human being we are observing. We are experiencing the killing of a popular icon. It is symbolic of course. Santa Claus stands for many things: for popular myths, for kindness and friendship, gifts, Christmas, winter, for boundless consuming. It could be a symbol of random violence. The friend of all children publicly harmed just like the molested Easter Bunny in the movie “Mallrats.” The image could also be a reference to the work of Paul McCarthy, the famous American artist, who dressed up like Santa in a performance and made the controversial sculpture “Santa Claus” that in The Netherlands got the name “Kabouter Butt-plug.” From this point of view, the shown hanging is a consciously planned attack on the status of an icon in the world of arts. An attempt to create a powerful reply to McCarthy’s art. “Santa Claus, cord, gallows,” the list of elements of which this work has been made is short and simple, but the image itself contains a whole array of possible meanings. Hanging there, completely still; his hands idle next to his round belly. He has been made an example just by being killed and shown in public. A striking image indeed. (MA)