NO Peoples Republic, 1983
Graphite, charcoal, synthetic polymer paint, and cut-and-pasted printed paper on paper
26 1/2 x 34 1/2 in (67.3 x 87.6 cm)
© Sue Coe
Of her politically charged paintings and drawings, the British-born artist Sue Coe has said, 'My dream is that people don't discuss the work, but discuss the content.' Coe, who has...
Of her politically charged paintings and drawings, the British-born artist Sue Coe has said, "My dream is that people don't discuss the work, but discuss the content." Coe, who has created editorial cartoons for the op-ed page of The New York Times, has addressed in her artwork such subjects as racism, sexism, and the mistreatment of children.
The painting Peoples Republic is part of a series of works published in Coe's 1983 book, How to Commit Suicide in South Africa. The title of the book refers to the many people murdered while in police custody in apartheid-ruled South Africa; by raising awareness about the country's oppressive regime, the artist hoped to curb American financial interests there.
—Gallery label from the MoMA Exhibition Against the Grain: Contemporary Art from the Edward R. Broida Collection, May 3–Jul 10, 2006.Literature
Prism Magazine, August 1985, p. 13Art Against Apartheid, 1985
Equator, December-January, 1986
Versus, April 1988
Publications
Sue Coe & Holly Metz, How to Commit Suicide in South Africa, Raw One Shot #2, 1984, p. 10-11Sue Coe, Paintings and Drawings, 1985
Sue Coe, Mandy Coe, Donald Kuspit and Marilyn A. Zeitlin, Police State exhibition catalogue, 1987