Artist Sam McKinniss is presenting a provocative new exhibition titled "Law and Order" at Jeffrey Deitch gallery, where he explores America's complex relationship with viral images and cultural iconography. The show features paintings of both law enforcement figures and lawbreakers, depicting characters whose images have become deeply embedded in our collective digital consciousness.
The exhibition includes a diverse range of subjects that have captured public attention through social media and traditional media outlets. Among the featured works are paintings of Jeremy Meeks, whose mugshot went viral over a decade ago due to his striking appearance, and Luigi Mangione, depicted looking over his shoulder after his apprehension outside a McDonald's restaurant in Pennsylvania. McKinniss also includes Chuck Bass from the popular teen drama "Gossip Girl," as well as a striking image of two riderless horses running through an urban street, one of them bleeding.
In an interview with Cultured magazine, McKinniss explained his artistic vision, stating that he wanted to "almost illustrate the immediate moment of what it feels like to be living in America right now." Interestingly, the horses depicted in one of his paintings were actually galloping through the streets of London, not an American city. However, for McKinniss, this geographical detail is irrelevant, as he views America not as a physical place but as "a semi-abusive relationship with iconic images."
The concept of America as a collection of iconic images has deep historical roots. From Hollywood's dream factories to the advertising innovations of Madison Avenue, the United States has long been characterized by its production and consumption of visual culture. French philosopher Jean Baudrillard once observed about America: "Everything is destined to reappear as simulation. Landscapes as photographs, women as the sexual scenario, thoughts as writing, terrorism as fashion and the media, events as television." He noted that things seem to exist only through this strange destiny, wondering whether the world itself serves merely as advertising copy for some other reality.
Despite the artificial nature of this image-obsessed culture, many have found delight in America's embrace of simulation and commodity aesthetics. From Paris Hilton to Andy Warhol, the ironic and often unironic overindulgence in visual consumption has become a distinctly American characteristic. This relationship with images also carries significant political weight, as visibility has traditionally been viewed as a pathway to social progress and rights.
The exhibition "Law and Order" represents a contemporary twist on America's relationship with iconic imagery, particularly as social media platforms blur the boundaries between advertising, entertainment, and politics. If Americans uniquely understand themselves through images, McKinniss suggests that social media perfectly captures what it feels like to live in America today.
Walking through the gallery creates an experience remarkably similar to scrolling through social media feeds. Visitors encounter the same dull sparks of recognition that characterize online browsing: Chuck Bass elicits a laugh, Flaco the escaped zoo owl evokes sadness over his death, politician Callista Gingrich appears alongside the escaped horses and juggalos. These brief moments of stimulation, often described as "dopamine hits," ultimately resolve into something more negative and complex.
McKinniss's paintings create a unique effect where they seem to recede and become mere content. Rendered with the softness of compressed JPEG images and covered with heavy varnish, most of these works appear almost interchangeable. Having already encountered these images online, viewers may get the false impression that the paintings are easy to produce quickly and in large quantities. This raises challenging questions about artistic value and the current state of visual culture.
One painting in the exhibition stands apart from the collection of viral and iconic images. It depicts a small, inconspicuous compound of buildings viewed from above, representing the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, also known as the La Salle Detention Facility. Unlike the other subjects in the show, this image is not iconic or widely recognized, yet it represents something profoundly important: a place where people are detained, often without access to legal counsel, medical care, or clean water.
This unassuming work provides a moment of catharsis within the exhibition. While most of the show captures the feeling of being helpless in a wash of images, this painting reasserts the importance of place and draws attention to significant but unseen realities. It serves as a powerful reminder that behind America's image-obsessed culture lie important truths that often remain hidden from public view, making viewers feel they have witnessed something genuinely important rather than merely consuming another piece of viral content.
