Strange Veg 2 / by Josh Sands

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Strange Veg part 2

As I embarked upon the second half of this project I knew I would be touching on tougher issues and greater absurdities. The absurd reality and inherent deceit of stereotypes may not be the easiest subject to tackle but it is an important one. I knew that if I was to explore offensive racial stereotypes further my aim would be to squash them, dissolve them, bury them…deep, and grow new life out of that destruction.

“African Americans”, 2015      sand, rock, decorative rock, soil, watermelon, chicken bones, grape kool-aid, basketball, orange prison shirt, cotton, collard green seeds…and so an exploration of horrible stereotypes concerning “African Americans” be…

“African Americans”, 2015 sand, rock, decorative rock, soil, watermelon, chicken bones, grape kool-aid, basketball, orange prison shirt, cotton, collard green seeds

…and so an exploration of horrible stereotypes concerning “African Americans” began…

just do it

just do it

given the tools

given the tools

tall like his daddy

tall like his daddy

hustle

hustle

bright future

bright future

urban decay

urban decay

upward mobility

upward mobility

help me mama

help me mama

…wrong place at the wrong time

…wrong place at the wrong time

fade away

fade away

serving time

serving time

I can’t breathe

I can’t breathe

An imbalance between the rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics
— Plutarch

Mexican Americans, 2015    sand, soil, rock, work gloves, rubber gloves, cleaning supplies, vacuum tube, sombrero, poncho, flannel shirt, kids clothes, tequila bottle, tortillas, corn, green bean seeds

Mexican Americans, 2015 sand, soil, rock, work gloves, rubber gloves, cleaning supplies, vacuum tube, sombrero, poncho, flannel shirt, kids clothes, tequila bottle, tortillas, corn, green bean seeds

lazy

lazy

seeds get planted

seeds get planted

all the children

all the children

up early

up early

hard worker

hard worker

a colorful people

a colorful people

resilient

resilient

bring the cousins

bring the cousins

harvest time

harvest time

the fruits of labor

the fruits of labor

after the drought

after the drought


White Americans, 2015     soil, sand, aquarium rock, straw, wood, bonfire ash, water sports gear, camping gear, tent, gardening items, seed packs, wonder bread, national geographic, maps, Hawaiin and tie-die shirts, kale seeds

White Americans, 2015 soil, sand, aquarium rock, straw, wood, bonfire ash, water sports gear, camping gear, tent, gardening items, seed packs, wonder bread, national geographic, maps, Hawaiin and tie-die shirts, kale seeds

the wonder of bread

the wonder of bread

health conscious

health conscious

worldly

worldly

free spirited

free spirited

resourceful

resourceful

entropy/apathy

entropy/apathy

gentrification

gentrification

urban renewal

urban renewal

these colors don’t run

these colors don’t run

after the fall

after the fall

The greater their ignorance, the stronger their opinions.
— Ken Follett

Prim and Proper

Prim and Proper

Irish, 2015    sand, soil, charcoal pellets, rock, Jameson whiskey bottle, lucky charms, potatoes, cabbage seeds

Irish, 2015 sand, soil, charcoal pellets, rock, Jameson whiskey bottle, lucky charms, potatoes, cabbage seeds

plough the fields

plough the fields

Jameson with your breakfast potatoes

Jameson with your breakfast potatoes

the dawning of new luck

the dawning of new luck

common threads

common threads

wish me enemies ill

wish me enemies ill

spirited advancement

spirited advancement

blood and soil

blood and soil

to triumph in spite

to triumph in spite

beware of invaders

beware of invaders

to hell with it

to hell with it