Winslow Garage

State of Emergency
curated by Thin Nyguen

State of Emergency, curated by Thin Nyguen
with works by Chris Christion, Zavé Martohardjono, Olivier Mirguet, Azadeh Tajpour, and Axel Wilhite.

The term “Big Brother” as it is used in George Orwell’s seminal novel, 1984, has been
incorporated into the English lexicon as a synonym for the abuse of governmental
power, particularly in respect to civil liberties and often specifically related to mass surveillance. The phrase "Big Brother is watching you” becomes particularly relevant as it is now common knowledge that we are almost constantly being watched by cameras from both private and public sources. As we enter the epoch of the police state, our increasing awareness of police brutality reveals both abuse of power and violations to our Fourth Amendment rights.

This diverse group of local and international artists use various mediums to explore how
surveillance is being used as a tool of power and subversion as part of a policing state in
operation.