September 2019
This essay is about the 2014 documentary by Laura Nix, Jacques Servin, and Igor Vamos. I quickly summarize the film, then make a three-pronged argument that sketches the conditions of possibility for the Yes Men's work: “1) Meaning and identity have been destabilized in the postmodern, post-WW2 era. 2) Wealth has become increasingly consolidated, so corporations have more political and financial power than ever. And 3) The Yes Men use humor as an affective tool and protective façade." I also argue that the thesis of the film ends up being how vital and necessary collaboration is.
Written for Johanna Gosse's Contemporary Art.
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