Monday, December 22, 2008

Sabotage


Pakistani protesters hold up shoes and caracatures of U.S. President George W. Bush during a demonstration in support of Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008. Dozens of protestors gathered to demand the release of Al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush during a news conference in Iraq on Sunday, Dec. 14. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)


I speculated yesterday that the Middle Eastern shoe art renaissance could possibly lead to the rise of a Kuwaiti Jasper Johns or an Afghan Jim Dine. What I meant to say, of course, was that it would lead to a whole troop of Pakistani Jeff Koons (Koonses?). I regret the error.

15 comments:

Karen Zipdrive said...

I'm starting to think all the trouble in the Middle East is due to a paucity of nice footwear.
If I only owned one or two pair and I used one to make a point like these guys are doing, I'd be pretty pissed off, too.
I really love that in the home stretch of Bush's horrendous reign, he'll be forever remembered as the guy surrounded by images of stinky shoes.
I wish some American had thought the whole thing up.

TexasYankee said...

Bush looks awfully Spock-like in those photos! How Ironic.

Diane Griffin said...

These puppets would seem to have a humorous cast, if the puppeteers didn't look so angry. I am fantasizing about the puppet play I would write about Shoeface the Inflatable Bunny...

Matthew Hubbard said...

I'm with Madduane on this one. Are those inflatable Bugs Bunny toys with GWB's likeness pasted over them?

It brings a whole new meaning to Bugs' famous line, "Of course, you know, this means WAR!"

Peteykins said...

You may also wish to Google "Jeff Koons" and "bunny", just in case you thought I plucked the artist's name out of thin air.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

I believe it may be 'Kooni.'

Anonymous said...

Does this mean that we should start calling our soon-to-be-former commander-in-chimp "Bubbles"?

Civic Center said...

Got the Koons reference and it's aptly brilliant, but Jasper Johns and Jim Dine may be next (although you never know from where), so please no regrets.

Peteykins said...

SFMike, they're moving forward through art history, so I'm assuming that Damian Hirst is probably next.

Jenny said...

What's all the Japanese writing on the balloon-sticks? Can anybody read that? I'm sure it just says something like "bunny rabbit", but I'm hoping for something a little more like "stick a shoe in my big rabbit balloon face!"

Diane Griffin said...

which should they encase in acrylics? Bush, or just a shoe?

Peteykins said...

I'm thinking more like a diamond-encrusted shoe hurled at a skull labelled "Bush."

Anonymous said...

I'm with Madduane on this one. Are those inflatable Bugs Bunny toys with GWB's likeness pasted over them?

I don't know if they are Bugs Bunny toys, but they are definitely bunny toys. It says うさぎ (usagi) something in Japanese, usagi meaning rabbit. The rest is obscured by angry hands.

A bird in the hand said...

Did they think GW was a Vulcan? Look at those ears.

Spock will be not pleased!

Anonymous said...

Actually, they don't need to try and make Bush look funnier. The original is funny, and gut wrenching enough, on it's own. Is it just me or do you want to just punch something everytime you see that BASTARD'S mug?