Yaniv Cohen

The Gramsci Monument

While walking through this new type of art called presence and production, I realized that every single item there, from the big studio to the duck tape all over- was placed for a reason and had a purpose behind it. The Gramsci Monument is no simple statue of art, it is designed to be an art with a purpose behind it, an art to effect inspire, and most definitely appreciate.
One of the most interesting items in the Gramsci Monument which contained much depth was this basket of apples and a sign above stating “A Gramsci Apple a Day Keeps Consumption Away”. This struck me at first as a simple joke, with very little meaning. But this is actually exactly the opposite of what I thought it had been. One of the biggest problems in that era was Consumption, how this new generation was overtaken by the need to consume, this radically capitalist need an endless amount of money money in order to consume, and consume even when not necessary. The clear message through this sign is that we consumption in that generation was a problem. After speaking with Professor Pence about this sign, she also showed me the irony in this little joke. EATING THE APPLE IS CONSUMING! But what the difference is, is that we are seeing a seperation of consumption, a “healthy” way of consuming too. The underlying message in this is that consumption is a necessity, but there is a line drawn at what is considered to be necessary or a “healthy” consumption and this new type of capitslist consumption. This message also relates to one of Gramsci’s quotes where he says “The Crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new can not be born” again he is stating how the new generation does not know what things are really necessary in life and can not see what their corruption is-Consumption.
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