No NRA, 2018, silkscreen edition of 20, 15” x 22”
Curated by Maxim Schmidt with Nicole Hooks
Curator’s Statement
Fired highlights the work of Margaret Roleke, whose art voice challenges the relationships that develop between pop culture and policy in reference to gun control. Roleke confronts the political institutions and administrations that play crucial roles in ongoing gun discourse while expertly incorporating instantly-recognizable characters into her multimedia prints; Mickey Mouse gives his classic grin next to a plethora of handguns, and Rajah — a tiger also of Disney fame — smiles sheepishly alongside shooting targets. Donald Trump and the NRA are consistent motifs throughout the works, additionally encouraging critique about sources of gun control failure.
10 limited edition silkscreen prints titled No NRA signed by the artist. Edition printed by the artist at Center for Contemporary Printmaking
The proceeds of the prints will benefit ECOCA and Connecticut Against Gun Violence (CAGV) whose mission is to reduce gun violence in CT.
About
Margaret Roleke is a prolific Connecticut artist, largely centering around themes of gun control across her last few years of work. Roleke was recently awarded the Connecticut Artist Fellowship Award for 2020, and her work has been exhibited across several states nationally as internationally in Venice, Italy.
Statement
Roleke’s work explores sensationalism, consumerism, and the wild contradictions and relationships that develop when popular culture mixes with war and religion.
Numerous small toys are utilized in the conversation, which allows these serious issues of consumption, consumerism, war, violence, and extremism to be presented in perhaps a more playful manner. Actual bullet casings and brass transform to form jewel-like abstractions. Multitudes of toys are painted in a monochromatic palette, which in turn allows them to be visually read like a minimalist painting.
For the last several years Margaret Roleke has been dedicated to gun control, donating a percentage of her sales to this cause while creating works that bring this issue to greater attention. The current political climate and Trump presidency has further expanded her role as an activist artist.