{"id":91633,"date":"2025-03-25T11:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T18:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=91633"},"modified":"2025-03-27T11:58:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T18:58:24","slug":"apocalypse-americana-david-brothers-newest-installation-rises-from-the-rubble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/apocalypse-americana-david-brothers-newest-installation-rises-from-the-rubble\/","title":{"rendered":"Apocalypse Americana: David Brothers\u2019 Newest Installation Rises from the Rubble"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt aligncenter wp-image-91634 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9224-1200x900.jpg\" alt=\"Wide-angle view of an art installation of painted parody billboards in a barren landscape, with a broken umbrella and scattered debris in the foreground.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9224-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9224-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9224-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9224-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9224-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Oh brother, he\u2019s at it again. The prop impresario and sorcerer of the cinematic, David Brothers has dumped another load of art on the Salt Lake scene.<\/h4>\n<h4>You may remember \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/index.php\/david-brothers-jimax-shakes-up-salt-lake-citys-public-art-scene\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jimax,&#8221;<\/a> from 2023. Set in a narrow alley in Salt Lake City\u2019s Central 9th neighborhood, it was a surreal, carnivalesque installation that felt like a lost scene from a Fellini film. Sculpted heads leering from above, hand-painted banners lining the walls, and a glowing centerpiece\u2014a shirtless beefcake figure flanked by chaotic machinery and lights\u2014anchored the dreamlike passageway.<\/h4>\n<h4>His new installation is in a locale a little less chic. Perched just outside the Salt Lake County landfill, this absurdist roadside spectacle transforms a wasteland of concrete rubble and discarded trash into a brightly colored theater of American consumerism. Rendered in hand-painted banners, the installation features grinning politicians, fast food logos, slot machines, and payday loan ads\u2014absurdly cheerful symbols of late-capitalist culture set against a desolate, windswept backdrop. With its carnival palette and junkyard setting, the piece feels both biting and bizarre, like a forgotten parade float caught in the apocalypse.<\/h4>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt aligncenter wp-image-91635 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9217-1200x900.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up view of painted banners featuring colorful casino-themed imagery like a \u201c777\u201d jackpot and portraits of suited figures promoting grand openings and financial products.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9217-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9217-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9217-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9217-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9217-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/div>\n<h4><\/h4>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-91633 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/apocalypse-americana-david-brothers-newest-installation-rises-from-the-rubble\/img_9222-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9222-350x263.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Outdoor installation of brightly colored hand-painted banners referencing American advertising, including parodies of Subway, real estate, tire sales, and payday loans, set against a clear blue sky.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9222-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9222-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9222-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9222-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9222-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/apocalypse-americana-david-brothers-newest-installation-rises-from-the-rubble\/img_9216\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" src=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9216-350x263.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"A series of hand-painted banners in a desert setting, depicting spoof advertisements including \u201cSuper Win,\u201d \u201cSpaghetti Man,\u201d and \u201cNational Debt Relief,\u201d arranged on a structure held up with concrete blocks.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9216-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9216-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9216-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9216-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9216-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h4>Who knows how long it will last (apparently someone at the dump is not happy). Take 1300 south \/California Ave straight west until it dead ends just past the county landfill. Then begin walking. We suggest thick soles shoes and good windshield insurance.<\/h4>\n<h4>Peek around back and you\u2019ll notice Brothers has repurposed his canvas banners from \u201cJimax\u201d for this screed against disposable communities and predatory economies.<\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt aligncenter wp-image-91637 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9226-1200x900.jpg\" alt=\"Foreground detail of tattered party flags tied to a rock, with hand-painted advertisement banners and figures visible in the distance across the rocky terrain.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9226-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9226-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9226-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9226-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9226-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><br \/>\nAll images courtesy of the author.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oh brother, he\u2019s at it again. The prop impresario and sorcerer of the cinematic, David Brothers has dumped another load of art on the Salt Lake scene. You may remember \u201cJimax,&#8221; from 2023. Set in a narrow alley in Salt Lake City\u2019s Central 9th neighborhood, it was a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in_plain_site","category-visual_arts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_9224-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-25 10:47:38","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91633"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91649,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91633\/revisions\/91649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}