APATHOT by Dimitrije Martinovic
All People Against The Hegemony Of Thought

APATHOT - (2006) 14 posters, 26 1/2" x 40", $350.00 each print.

The origin of APATHOT began with two events coalescing. Seeing a photograph of my niece, an amateur figure skater aged 10, was the first. In it she had achieved the essence of a Vegas Showgirl. Dressed up in a theatrical costume she posed convincingly as a contemporary Amazon, a strong proud bejeweled icon of the super feminine. As I held the image of this astonishing transformation I thought how we humans readily embody an entirely different persona through the simple donning of artifice and our suspension of disbelief. We become our fantasized ideal form. It was while browsing through a "lifestyle" store that the second event occurred. I was drawn to a bin piled high with soft, cloudy whiteness. Sheepskins, perfect in and of themselves and still embodying their inherent qualities cherished throughout time, warmth, protection from the elements; Survival. Here something so primal appeared once more in time retrieved from a catalogue of products providing a fantasy item for the consumer. Within a moment of gazing I had conceived a fully fashioned sheepskin uniform, original as it was radical. The showgirl and the sheepskin catapulted into a kind of McLuhanesque model! A place where everything new is borrowed from the old. In turn it is improved upon only to become within the next generation rendered obsolete. Rediscovered it becomes a new version a characterture of itself its original usage lost but reinvented to suit contemporary cultural life. —Dimitrije Martinovic

APATHOT is an anagram for; All People Against The Hegemony Of Thought. Its framework arose from the apparent willing ease to which we assume a different persona and the reinventing of cultural contrivance through evolution. Carried into society this formula of: assumed persona + the reinvented contrivance = a worldwide reoccurrence of the cult phenomena, extremist political parties and influencing religious orders, benevolent or otherwise. These global movements are founded upon Utopian ideals and indeed some having shaped the course of history we accord them our due respect. Upon reading a manifesto or viewing a peculiar garb we may perceive "their" reality as absurd. This fringe element is seemingly ridiculous to us and we lose whatever respect we did have and laugh outright. This impulse is checked immediately so that our arrogance is not confused as ignorance. APATHOT was created as a prototype group of "radicals" a vehicle for the purpose of art and entertainment. It mirrors current political landscape which has spectacularly and clearly devolved into sheer entertainment for the masses at the expense of those who are sincere and well meaning. APATHOT poses questions about systems of belief, community, motivation and freedom, empowerment, martyrdom, and propaganda. The format of APATHOT is presented as a series of propaganda-like posters depicting members comprising the group. These 48"x 60" colour portraits with red and white predominating are reminiscent of the Red Cross. It is conceivable that there may be more or less members and that perhaps this is just the beginning of a larger movement. They are portrayed in uniform, the soft white sheep skins, symbolic of so much historical and mythic value they hold sacred. Their group name and its meaning, followed by the mission statement/manifesto with the; Seven Slogans of Change?, their most inspired messages to the world are emblazoned in text silhouetting each figure. They believe these texts and their revolutionary movement will change the world for the better. —Susan Mackay

click here to view all 13 photos from APATHOT
(2006) 14 posters, 26 1/2" x 40", $350.00 each print.

more work by Dimitrije Martinovic:
(2008)
and
The Exquisite Folly of the Event and its Participants