In 2001 I wrote a small dictionary of political terms. Some of these were highly entertaining and some proved quite useful in describing what I believed about some politicians all along. These dictionary entries have been useful in the making of artworks, like for example, CLOSED BALLOT (2004). In this work I used terms like: albocracy Government by ‘white’ men or Europeans; chirocracy Government by military force, or the ‘strong hand’; chromatocracy Government by a group of people of the same skin colour ruling over people of a different colour; argentocracy The rule of money; coprocracy Koster’s word for “the rule of shits.”; cormorancy Rule by a greedy and oppressive class; gerontocracy The rule or power of old men; hierocracy A government by the church; hoplarchy Government by armed soldiers; kakistocracy Government by the worst citizens; kleptocracy The rule of thieves; logocracy Government by fancy words; oligarchy Government by a small group of privileged persons; phallocracy The rule of men only; xenocracy The rule of foreigners.

 

In political candyfloss I tried to write glimpses of political madness as if by the hand of a schizophrenic politician. A certain infantile, shivering quality in my handwriting was made easier because I had to write backwards in the hard ground on an etching plate. The printing of the plate in reverse made the text legible in places.

 

I also attach images of the two sides of the diptych – unfortunately I do not have any better images.

 

All best

 

Willem