top of page
Oscar Duarte
Jose, Can't You See? (2017)
 Nopales States (2017)The American flag has been re-imagined to fit the context of the power struggle resulting from U.S. / Mexico relations regarding the border. The border is charged with a history of violence, displacement of people and culture, and politics. This work alters the flag as a way of decolonizing it and reflecting the role Mexican culture plays in the country which it represents. |  Frontera States (2017)The American flag has been re-imagined to fit the context of the power struggle resulting from U.S. / Mexico relations regarding the border. The border is charged with a history of violence, displacement of people and culture, and politics. This work alters the flag as a way of decolonizing it and reflecting the role Mexican culture plays in the country which it represents. |
|---|---|
 Sarape States 1 (2017)The American flag has been re-imagined to fit the context of the power struggle resulting from U.S. / Mexico relations regarding the border. The border is charged with a history of violence, displacement of people and culture, and politics. This work alters the flag as a way of decolonizing it and reflecting the role Mexican culture plays in the country which it represents. |  Sarapes States 2 (2017)The American flag has been re-imagined to fit the context of the power struggle resulting from U.S. / Mexico relations regarding the border. The border is charged with a history of violence, displacement of people and culture, and politics. This work alters the flag as a way of decolonizing it and reflecting the role Mexican culture plays in the country which it represents. |
Veil (2016)
 Veil 1 - Get Out! (2016)This work presents a channel through which we can examine the informational veil that is placed between the public and the truth through mainstream media, while also examining pseudo-patriotism and the weight that it carries. The text in the background which the viewer must work for to view states facts about Syrian refugees which contradict xenophobic views so prominent in America. |  Veil 2 - Terrorist! (2016)This work presents a channel through which we can examine the informational veil that is placed between the public and the truth through mainstream media, while also examining pseudo-patriotism and the weight that it carries. The text in the background which the viewer must work for to view states facts about Syrian refugees which contradict xenophobic views so prominent in America. |
|---|
Oh, Yes! (2014)
 u R. a Mutt, 1776 (2014)This work, apart from the art-historical reference, plays with the wording of the original. It begs the question: what is an American? In the midst of racial tension in the U.S., we can all agree on one thing: we are all mutts, that is, no ONE identity is exclusive to being American. Therefore, we cannot include some while excluding others. |  Institutionalized Asswipe (2014)Institutional critique is at play here, questioning the authority which gives certain people, critics, etc...the power to create taste in the art world (or the whole world of material commodities, for that matter), thus monopolizing the market and creating absurd economic situations. |
|---|---|
 Crutches Cross (2014)This work comments on the current crippled situation in many facets of contemporary American society, including the mishandling of healthcare, education, poverty, and race relations. |  Make Them Cry! (2014)The diamond trade is represented by jewelry made of onion. The onion dries and begins to decay as the days pass by, alluding to the rotten diamond trade cycle, from slave labor to the flashy jewelery. There is a parallel represented by how the onion makes one cry when being cut, much like victims of slave labor, to the people receiving the final product as a gift. |
 Isabella, the Bastardizer (2014)Portrait of Queen Isabella of Spain, bastardizer of the Americas, whose face has been digitally altered to feature a stamp of the inquisition over feces, accompanied by a glass of red wine, or the ‘blood of Christ’, all this a critique of colonialism. |  Isabella (Detail) (2014)Portrait of Queen Isabella of Spain, bastardizer of the Americas, whose face has been digitally altered to feature a stamp of the inquisition over feces, accompanied by a glass of red wine, or the ‘blood of Christ’, all this a critique of colonialism. |
 Spectacle (2014)“The spectacle is the material reconstruction of the religious illusion.” - Guy Debord This piece posits a possibility of us being left empty if we are to envision ourselves without access to our many media and material consumption, AKA ‘the spectacle’. What would we do without that which makes us ‘happy’, which fulfills us? |  Spectacle - detail (2014)“The spectacle is the material reconstruction of the religious illusion.” - Guy Debord This piece posits a possibility of us being left empty if we are to envision ourselves without access to our many media and material consumption, AKA ‘the spectacle’. What would we do without that which makes us ‘happy’, which fulfills us? |
 Spectacle - detail (2014)“The spectacle is the material reconstruction of the religious illusion.” - Guy Debord This piece posits a possibility of us being left empty if we are to envision ourselves without access to our many media and material consumption, AKA ‘the spectacle’. What would we do without that which makes us ‘happy’, which fulfills us? |  Don't Let It (2014)This painting deals with the illusion of choice that we are often faced with regarding many frustrating issues, which leads us to have doubt about how much power we really have to make change. |
 Cleanliness (2014)The U.S. government’s budgets for defense/military and to fight poverty are placed side to side, showing the disparity between the two, with the military budget being grossly higher. Being clean is a sign of spiritual purity, yet the government neglects the poor in favor of military power. The juxtaposition of the budgets with the saying illustrates this situation. |
De-Torment (2014)
 Nestle (2014)This series of digital prints is the result of research into global corporations' disregard for social responsibility. The images are pseudo advertisements which serve as an antithesis to the companies which they portray: companies which hide the harm they do by way of deceit and lies. The title comes from a play on words with the term 'detournement', coined by the Situationist International group. |  Revlon (2014)This series of digital prints is the result of research into global corporations' disregard for social responsibility. The images are pseudo advertisements which serve as an antithesis to the companies which they portray: companies which hide the harm they do by way of deceit and lies. The title comes from a play on words with the term 'detournement', coined by the Situationist International group. |
|---|---|
 L'Oreal (2014)This series of digital prints is the result of research into global corporations' disregard for social responsibility. The images are pseudo advertisements which serve as an antithesis to the companies which they portray: companies which hide the harm they do by way of deceit and lies. The title comes from a play on words with the term 'detournement', coined by the Situationist International group. |  De Beers (2014)This series of digital prints is the result of research into global corporations' disregard for social responsibility. The images are pseudo advertisements which serve as an antithesis to the companies which they portray: companies which hide the harm they do by way of deceit and lies. The title comes from a play on words with the term 'detournement', coined by the Situationist International group. |
 brazilLowResThis series of digital prints is the result of research into global corporations' disregard for social responsibility. The images are pseudo advertisements which serve as an antithesis to the companies which they portray: companies which hide the harm they do by way of deceit and lies. The title comes from a play on words with the term 'detournement', coined by the Situationist International group. |  Nike (2014)This series of digital prints is the result of research into global corporations' disregard for social responsibility. The images are pseudo advertisements which serve as an antithesis to the companies which they portray: companies which hide the harm they do by way of deceit and lies. The title comes from a play on words with the term 'detournement', coined by the Situationist International group. |
 BP (2014)This series of digital prints is the result of research into global corporations' disregard for social responsibility. The images are pseudo advertisements which serve as an antithesis to the companies which they portray: companies which hide the harm they do by way of deceit and lies. The title comes from a play on words with the term 'detournement', coined by the Situationist International group. |
Buy Me (2013)
 Buy Me - 1 (2013)This digital de-collage series deals with the barrage of images telling us how and what to consume, and the feeling of alienation for those who do not have the means to consume in order to attain society’s expectations. |  Buy Me - 2 (2013)This digital de-collage series deals with the barrage of images telling us how and what to consume, and the feeling of alienation for those who do not have the means to consume in order to attain society’s expectations. |
|---|---|
 Buy Me - 3 (2013)This digital de-collage series deals with the barrage of images telling us how and what to consume, and the feeling of alienation for those who do not have the means to consume in order to attain society’s expectations. |
Decollage (2013)
 1 (2013) |  2 - (2013) |
|---|---|
 3 - (2013) |  4 - (2013) |
 5 - (2013) |  6 - (2013) |
Untitled (2012-13)
 Untitled (2013 |  Untitled (2013) |
|---|---|
 Untitled (2013 |  Untitled (2013 |
 Untitled (2013 |  Untitled (2013 |
 Untitled (2012) |  Untitled (2012) |
 Untitled (2012) |
Click on larger picture to see slideshow with descriptions.
Click on larger picture to see slideshow with descriptions.
Click on larger picture to see slideshow with descriptions.
Click on larger picture to see slideshow with descriptions.
Click on larger picture to see slideshow with descriptions.
Click on larger picture to see slideshow with descriptions.
Click on larger picture to see slideshow with descriptions.
bottom of page