Saddening State-of-the-World Art

The OHWOW Post 9-11 Exhibition is unlike any other art show. While most art exhibits are united by a common categorization into a particular movement or style, this one is tied together by a communal feeling of grief, fear and sadness from artists with a variety of expressive genres and mediums. According to Cool Hunting, the group show presents work by nine New York-based artists whose pieces are evocative of the mixed American mood following the attacks on that day in September 2001.

Without a doubt, the attacks of that day altered the face of the world, human interaction and global relationships. It was a turning point for the world, and much art from the past decade is a reflection of this. As the curator explains, "Creating imagery, which at times expressed a rebellious spirit and freedom, also responds to their experience of these ten tumultuous years. The Post 9-11 artists’ work runs the gamut: defiant, irreverent and destructive; sublime, utopian, and filled with emotion."

Each of the artists featured in the exhibit is native to New York; they are not just fellow artists, but great friends whose shared experiences have inspired a decade's worth of brilliantly emotional work.

Implications - Over the past decade, the events of September 11th have had a variety of effects on consumerism. While initially, the communal sense of fear and terror negatively impacted many industries like shopping and tourism, the state of the world also united the Western world in patriotism which changed the face of the international global trading, buying and selling market.