A Few Good Posters

From Warhol to Adbusters, culture jamming demands attention like nothing else. It’s a simple strategy--artmakers inject unorthodox content into readymade media formats to critique the status quo. And in this Bush/ Schwarzenegger era of good-versus-evil, what better format to appropriate than the Hollywood blockbuster? 'United We Stand,' a new project by 0100101110101101.ORG (Italians Eva and Franco Mattes) does just that. A self-proclaimed 'brilliant mix of espionage and sci-fi political stereotypes in which Europe, not the US, saves the world from impending doom,' this non-existent movie is the subject of a world-wide faux media campaign accurately modeled after motion picture industry iconography and rhetoric. With the public ad campaign established, the duo's current exhibition at New York's Postmasters Gallery displays the exterior accoutrements of their pretend product--photographs of billboard installations, a promotional website, framed magazines containing movie ads, and a site-specific installation featuring live images from a hidden webcam that captures public reactions to the poster. Running through January 21, the show promises to appall right-wingers everywhere. - Peggy MacKinnon