The Yes Men

After my recent viewing of the The Yes Men Fix the World , I found a deeper appreciation for the collaborative pair- Andy Brchlbaum and Mike Bonanno. I am amazed by their ability to continue pulling the wool over the eyes of the mass media, in order to reveal the harsh realities that exist in corporate systems. An activist spirit is the force behind their work, which is highly intelligent and calculated in order to present important social issues. Irony and satire are important aspects of their work, as they present dark and serious social history in connection with current politics.

Performance-based interventions with mass media, corporate groups and the general public compose a significant portion of their creative process. Much like a Happening, the Yes Men rely real life situations and interaction from the audience to carry out and build upon their pieces in an improvisational, yet planned manner. As in the belief of predecessor Allan Kaprow, art is life.

Words, 1961, installation

Another important figure in this movement is Joseph Bueys.

I Like America and America Likes Me, 1974, performance

Both Kaprow and Bueys were heavily philosophical in their approach to art making and used the classroom as a setting for interaction. In this way, their work moved art into a direction of higher accessibility for the public audience. In critique of the institutional mindset driven by the art market, their work shook up everyday life and reconciled art and life, even bringing the role of the viewer into a more active engagement.

The Yes Men work in the same manner of intervening with everyday life experiences, such as a corporate luncheon, to deliver critical presentations on imaginary products of the institution. In their recent New York Times edition, the Yes Men delivered a message of empowerment to their viewers to take action, rather than remain passive to the realities of the world. An emotional reaction by the viewer is also key to the power of the Yes Men's works, in order to provoke change in society by society members.

Mierle Laderman Ukeles is another artist who employs interventions in her work. She has held a long time artist residency position with the New York Department of Sanitation. Through her works she offers gratitude to the everyday workers, such as cleaning crews of institutions, and in her residency, specifically the workers of the sanitation department. She created Social Mirror, a mobile art piece in which she covered the sides of a trash truck with reflective surface that reflected society's role in collecting trash back. She intended to convey a message that reminded people where the trash that was collected by trash men came from. This challenged the notion of a trash man being a dirty person just by the nature of their job.

Manifesto for Maintenance Art, 1969, performance

The Social Mirror, 1983

A more contemporary vehicle of the Yes Men's creative process is culture jamming. They disrupt institutions by creating fake identities and using the web and professional presentations to advertise these products that mock these corporations. Through their products they expose problematic politics that lie beneath the surface and question the consumers who support these corporations. Like Laderman, the Yes Men give society a realistic reflection of their choices to support these businesses and their politics, as a reaction against social conformity. The anticipated result is to inspire a mass transformation in society to to make conscious choices that allow us to live more freely. Not to be confused with the capitalist politics of freedom promoted by individuals like Milton Friedman.