The exhibition takes a cue from 1931 film ‘The Public Enemy’ that provided James Cagney with a vehicle by which to claim both stardom and notoriety, as an actor and also an alternative sex symbol. Smoking a cigar, wearing a Zoot suit and Wielding a sub machine gun, the film still was reproduced by Andy Warhol as a print in 1962 (Cagney).
All the intrinsic qualities of a prevailing gangster culture found their echo symbiotically and symbolically in an underground stream of economy - A mesmerizing mix of gun power, high lifestyle, violent caricatures, neat dress, testosterone and devilish luck with the opposite sex. A curatorial note elaborates:
“All men, all hard, all guns ablaze at moving targets beyond the frame - the gangster cult has been part of the visual culture for a long time - a partner in crimes of passion, a remarkable co-existence between depiction and reality. The music and film world have portrayed gangster culture with all its alternative status as a fertile ground for storytelling, often from humble beginnings to highly emotional endings, renderings of life on the streets and the worthiness of the game. Hardly an era has passed when movie makers and even artists have not turned to this most awkward, yet destructive, force in our society.”
Revenge, Bloodletting and sordid virtues make this ‘Public Enemy Number One’ - indeed, facets and faces of known bandits and thugs recognisable. The curator has brought together six artists from different backgrounds in order to highlight the role of violence and the culture of violence, which has propagated generations of gangsters and gangster attitude through the visual arts.
Using wit, confounded values, conditions and history, they treat the theme in their own unique way to portray ‘Public Enemy Number 1’.
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