marfa, the art mecca located in texas, has a new exhibition at the artist-run space, Z ranch, by artists chris ramming and rob brill. installed on the windows of the crumbling structure, the intervention is composed of two signs — one in neon and another in poster-style which address art tourism in COVID-19 times.
images by rob brill
the pieces, which surged the night before thanksgiving, exude two aggressive anti-tourism messages. the neon one reads everyone here hates you; while the poster says this town chooses your dollars over the safety of the people that live here. so make sure you get a tote bag.
it’s no secret the state of texas is a pandemic hotspot in the united states, and presidio county, where marfa is located, has been terribly hit. with their pieces, ramming and brill are showing their discontent with the rise of tourism in the area, calling out visitors. ‘the least that we can do right now is let people know that it’s really not safe to come here,’ brill told hyperallergic. ‘I love so many people in this community and they’re at actual risk of dying so that somebody can get an enchilada from a fancy restaurant.’
in times when we’re forced to physically distance — because socially we’re even closer — we can’t help but ask ourselves, why are these statements as art being used to create barriers, distance and exclusiveness in contrast to the inclusiveness of culture that is needed more than ever?
project info:
name: everyone hates you
artist: chris ramming and rob brill
location: Z ranch – marfa, texas
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