Utopia, Dystopia: Tony Cokes and Oscar Mu帽oz
鈥淯topia, Dystopia鈥� presents two single-channel videos from the MFA collection by Tony Cokes (b. 1956) and Oscar Mu帽oz (b. 1951). Created in the last decade, the films grapple with the duality of utopia and dystopia, expressing the artists鈥� senses of how idealistic visions of society often collide with harsh realities. Utopian dreams can promise a future without oppression and celebrate freedom of expression, yet achieving these ideals frequently comes into conflict with underlying dystopian truths such as systems of control, state surveillance, and deep inequality.
Both artists use language to explore these issues in their work: Mu帽oz鈥檚 Distop铆a (2014) centers on British author George Orwell鈥檚 1949 novel 1984, and Cokes鈥檚 Untitled (m.j.: the symptom) (2020) borrows text from Mark Fisher鈥檚 2009 essay collection The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson. Although video is an unusual medium for the written word, these two videos brilliantly incorporate the visual treatment of text while exploring knowledge production, political satire, fame, and government control.
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鈥淯topia, Dystopia鈥� presents two single-channel videos from the MFA collection by Tony Cokes (b. 1956) and Oscar Mu帽oz (b. 1951). Created in the last decade, the films grapple with the duality of utopia and dystopia, expressing the artists鈥� senses of how idealistic visions of society often collide with harsh realities. Utopian dreams can promise a future without oppression and celebrate freedom of expression, yet achieving these ideals frequently comes into conflict with underlying dystopian truths such as systems of control, state surveillance, and deep inequality.
Both artists use language to explore these issues in their work: Mu帽oz鈥檚 Distop铆a (2014) centers on British author George Orwell鈥檚 1949 novel 1984, and Cokes鈥檚 Untitled (m.j.: the symptom) (2020) borrows text from Mark Fisher鈥檚 2009 essay collection The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson. Although video is an unusual medium for the written word, these two videos brilliantly incorporate the visual treatment of text while exploring knowledge production, political satire, fame, and government control.
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