This picture of tattooed chickens in a deli display comes from Omega Mart, an interactive art exhibit in Vegas. The surface of the exhibit is a grocery store – a dystopian, satirical, and ironic bid at the capitalism fueled demise of society. If just strolling through the market area, the context is dulled, it is when you unpack the whole charade that you can start to find the meaning behind the otherwise cool looking chickens.
From my experience exploring the large exhibit, that behind the store opens up to a historical landscape, uncovering each piece as to how society turned into what you see before you – I found a sense of irony that mirrors contemporary geopolitics. People, including the ones in Omega Marts storyworld, are in many ways our own worst enemies. We continue to repeat the very same behaviours that lead us to tough times, even when we have all the evidence in front of us saying otherwise.
Thus, the market, and these chickens, to me, represent a post-capitalistic over-correction. Where people, separated through centuries of change, find solace in cosplaying the past, despite no real ability or understanding of what that means.
As for the image itself, the chickens are displayed on lettuce, in a deli case, no different than you’d find in a butcher shop or grocery store today, just instead of ink covering the bird you’d find plastic. The case itself acts as a barrier to access the poultry, and the actor or deli clerk, aids in controlling the context – a sense of normalcy and indifference was shared as was the case with other ‘characters’ within the exhibit. This is their world, and we are just passing through.
In terms of controlling the context – I have reflected a lot on the exhibit, which comes with varying critiques, I’m not sure there is one singular context to be protected. In the single image of the chickens the case itself, the other meats, and accompanying sections of the market reinforce the context – but a year after visiting, and I struggle to use more appropriate terms, the exhibit is nothing short of a mind-fuck. One that is surely fun for families, but for those attuned to art and social analysis, it feels like Meow Wolf, the creators of Omega Mart and other global exhibits, crafted the ultimate social experiment on surveillance and consumerism that is mysterious – and hey the marketing worked on me!
My mind now hurts, had to read it a few times❤️🥴