"Government Shutdown"

This piece explores appropriation as a central part of American culture, using the repeated recycling of Marilyn Monroe’s image as a symbol of how certain icons become open for profit and reinterpretation. It questions why some figures and institutions are allowed to reuse, reshape, and capitalize on cultural material, while others are denied that same freedom.

By placing this idea alongside references to government power and economic inequality, the work highlights how capitalism decides who benefits from cultural borrowing and who is left without credit or support. It challenges viewers to consider who truly has the right to define, take from, and profit within America’s cultural landscape.

Canvas — 16 x 20 in.
Includes Certificate of Authenticity