Dig your own grave


Exhibition of video and painting at Kaos Berlin, held on Brexit day, March 29th, 2019 
At a time when even world leaders have adopted nihilism, we have found ourselves in a world looking forward to extinction. One where we celebrate selfishness over altruism and cruelty over kindness. One of red, blue and white.
This series of paintings and video works are made in response to such a climate; to the growth of misanthropic individualism, personality obsession, pro-ignorance and anti-science. Where terrifying violence is legitimised by scale and power. Where personal success demands the failure of others.
As a cathartic attempt to exorcise such feelings, this exhibition harnesses anger and absurdity to protest against a self-destructive era in which we feel locked into an inevitable decline.

There is a lot to unpick with these works and i haven’t clarified everything.
I’m happy to answer any questions, just mail me. 

God hates you
The Union jack
‘Google - What did fruit taste like?’


Nike (named after the Greek Goddess of victory) is an organisation based on modern slavery that aggressively lobbies against unions, workers rights and anything that might possibly allow its majority female workers the basic requirements of life outside the factory walls. Currently it uses many non-white women to advertise its products, with the overarching theme that hard work and sportswear will allow the disadvantaged to climb out of poverty.  Considering how much of its own resources it puts into making sure that non-white women around the world are trapped in poverty, it seems a little hypocritical.

The Catholic church is a vast and financially profitable organisation that has, and still does, perpetrate sexual crimes against children on an unprecedented scale. (see also - AIDS epidemic/financial corruption/homophobia/nazi collaboration etc etc....) At the same time preaching moral superiority and casting itself as the arbiters for decency.

Both these organisations are so large, and such concrete pillars of western power that the very idea of reform seems impossible. In fact both of these organisations are literally worshipped. Countless courtcases against the church have had no effect. For nike the anti-corporate movements of the early 2000s had no impact, and I see my whole generation utterly devoted to a brand that is clearly our enemy.



Modern warfare
Headcam footage from Syria
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‘Call of Duty’ video game overlay


This video is the most horrible thing I’ve ever made.


Final Frontiers
Live screen recording of a live streamed ISS space-walk during 2017 eclipse 
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a live stream from Everett, US. Where a local business owner set up a camera to film homeless people




Mother Of All Bombs
Footage of the largest non-nuclear bomb dropped ever dropped. 
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Audio of the ‘FRB’ fast radio burst, an unusual signal received from space at roughly the same time



Hang the terrorist Nelson Mandela

This is of course not my personal opinion. I don't think even Trump or Farage would say this now. Mandela is in the hall of fame of agreed good guys. But this was of course the view of all rightwing governments during apartheid and this quote comes from the English 'Federation of Conservative Students' who wore this on T-shirts and badges. The group was then chaired by the chairman of the house, John Bercow. David Cameron was part of the group at the time, and like all* the rightwing aligned himself with the apartheid government (actually visiting in 1989). You may remember Cameron's speech at Mandela's funeral ( between Obama selfies ) in which he spoke of the bravery and integrity of Mandela, and the inspiration he was to Cameron's own career, which is a little rich considering he was in a group that actively campaigned to have him hung.
So here i've painted this message on to an inverted Union Jack, to ask if we have moved on, what would this government's position on a contemporary Mandela be? It seems 'we' would hold perhaps an even more aggressive position. The rightwing have always been on the wrong side of history, I wonder when will we stop treating this pathological hatred for humanity and the planet as political opinion and see it for the mental illness that it is.

Dig your own grave
The actions of Coca-cola are shocking. See the Killer Coke campaign.


End Freedom now

Mobile Strike
Footage from the new video game commercial that former Governer of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, promotes
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ISIS footage of their bomb attacks

Fuck the future
Broadcast your hate


Climate change/earth poisoning is terrifying. This catastrophe is already happening. Perhaps the challenges it presents could be one of the few things that bring our species together in a mutual survival pact, though i fear that the reality is that we'll just burn everything. I feel this phrase is powerful because we live in a world where so many can't believe in responsibility for our actions and are denying that the future will happen.





SelfieScreen recording exploring the #videoselfie on Instagram.  Uploaded to Youtube, using the face blur effect





Truthseekers4K Footage of the earth from space by NASA ( saved repeatedly until the quality is as above )
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audio from a ‘Flat-earther’


EXTRA

Two of the paintings from this series were used as the front and back cover of the legendary Adbusters Magazine. 

Studio

Rob Blake
KAOS BERLIN
Wilhelminenhofstr. 92
Berlin, Germany
12459


Contact

robblaketv@gmail.com
+49 (0) 15214051605