Message in a Bottle

Notes on Godzilla Complex by JJ Zamoranos

JJ Zamoranos is known for his colorful works with mostly pop culture and graffiti imagery in his street works, toy designs, indoor murals, or on canvas paintings. For Godzilla Complex, he situates himself and his reflections in the discourse around our sense of freedom. Through the use of the image of the molotov cocktail and its meaning-making potency, he renders the idea of authority, social justice, and anarchy by extending his present inquiries on the status quo to his distinct artistic production. The iconic poor man’s grenade appeals to the artist because it is crude and homemade, yet it has a significantly destructive impact. For Zamoranos, the molotov is particularly symbolic since it can be associated with resistance from any form of oppressive force, but at the same time, it yields power. The concept of and about the use of this bottle bomb induces contemplation on the idea of power dynamics and how it influences or controls society, and within it, all forms of media. It also inevitably threads thinking about inequity and how this became more apparent due to recent events. As a citizen, the artist feels the social and political effect of the poorly fabricated efforts to convince us that we are still living in a democracy. The glaring military control in state policies and decisions is difficult to ignore.

The current exhibition registers a noticeable shift in tone within the artist’s body of work. Steering towards the direction of a pivot, we can expect subsequent projects to be just as outspoken. Zamoranos mentioned Charlie Chaplin’s 1957 film A King in New York as he communicated the idea of the show. In the story, the child Rupert Macabee uttered these piercing lines while in interrogation:

“The monopoly of power is a menace to freedom. It degrades and victimizes every individual. And where is the individual? Lost in terror because he’s made to hate instead of love. If civilization is to survive, we must combat power until the dignity and peace of man are restored.”

These words are very much resonant with the subject matter the artist attempts to discuss here. The message inside the bottle is revealed, during this time of utmost need for remembering, that absolute power corrupts absolutely.