Many citizens of the United States have spoken out against Trump by organizing, protesting, voting, writing and making art. Most of us have hoped for the impeachment of this inept, cruel, lying and corrupt con man who is a danger to our country and to the world. We the people of the United States will continue to speak out and fight against Trump.

I am pleased to present the online exhibition ARTISTS FIGHT TRUMP. This includes the artists Rita Valley, Sue Coe, Jackie Lima, Carla Rae Johnson and Karen Guancione. For over two years these artists have dedicated their art work and lives to fighting Trump.

This past year I was introduced to the work of Rita Valley and Carla Rae Johnson at ODETTA Gallery in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Their work is both beautiful, biting and humorous. I am thrilled they are participating. For many years I have been aware of and appreciative of Jackie Lima’s work and was totally taken with her new anti-Trump art work. I am very appreciative that she has allowed me to show it here. I am honored to have Sue Coe participating in ARTIST FIGHT TRUMP and thank both Sue Coe and Galerie St. Etienne for making this possible. The artist Karen Guancione has spent an extraordinary amount of time organizing and protesting against Trump. I wanted to include photographs of Karen’s work as an activist fighting Trump in the streets. Thanks to Karen for all her incredible work and thanks to all the artists for their dedication and powerful art and for being part of ARTISTS FIGHT TRUMP.

Patricia Dahlman watpaetki@aol.com

Please note all the art is copyright and permission of the artist is needed to reproduce the work.

RITA VALLEY

I have always been compelled to make art, and current events have long been of particular interest to me. From financial meltdown (economic collapse) to social injustices, I use my work as a form of activism. Unfortunately, our present state of national affairs finds me a-wash in raw material. The current administration and their many unfortunate pratfalls- verbal and otherwise- have both kept me awake at night and inspired me to produce more art. I suppose I could be thankful for the endless bounty of subject matter pouring forth on our twitter feeds, but mostly I’m just scared and angry. (This could be why I tweak my work with humor.)

A few brief notes on the pieces (sometimes people don't "get" the words):

"Libtard" is a derogatory mash up of Liberal and Retard coined by (that fat asshole) Rush Limbaugh. Meaning pretty obvious.

"Kompromat" is Russian for "compromising material" (ie; blackmail stuff). Pee pee tape, anyone?

"Complicit" is my channeling my inner Ivanka who famously did not know what 'complicit" meant. She seemed to think it meant she was in agreement with and supported her father's policies. I guess stupidity is supposed to defend criminality.

"Collusion". Yeah, we all know it's hiding in plain sight.

"(Fucking) Moron". What (now long gone) then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson famously called The Orange Menace. And many others have echoed that with idiot, and clown and crazy town... these are people inside the administration!

www.ritavalley.net

SUE COE

I make this work, as a response to my own curiosity, and fury, at witnessing the destruction of all life for profit. Anyone Resisting can make use of it. Early images were made for demonstrations, and free hand outs. It Can Happen Here…Did Happen Here. Unlike my Animal Liberation work, this work is faster and printed at speed, very cheaply. I assume much of what exists online is not real live humans any more, but bots manipulating each other for power and control, which makes the real print, held in real hands, so much more powerful…paper which is stronger than it looks, and the smell of fresh ink. Black and White. There is no grey area possible in lino prints, and no grey area morally, to tolerate these venal grifters.

www.gseart.com

http://www.graphicwitness.org/coe/enter.htm

"RING TRUE" 50" x 50" x 10" oil and ink on aluminum 2017

"RING TRUE" detail

"RING TRUE" detail

CARLA RAE JOHNSON

In November of 2016, I began a series of drawings: one per week, to provide comic commentary on (and, perhaps comic relief from) our national situation in the wake of the presidential election. P.T.S.D. (Post Trump Series of Drawings) includes 136 drawings to date (with some weeks demanding bonus drawings) using the “Kewpie” character as a stand-in for the 45 th President of the United States. The infantile, credulous, egotistical, delusional, and dangerous babbler is, I think, appropriately represented by Kewpie. Upon his debut, Kewpie, the impish character (originally created by illustrator, Rose O’Neil and introduced by The Ladies’ Home Journal in 1909), immediately became a world-wide sensation with thousands clamoring for the magazine illustrations and the dolls. During my own childhood, gaudy plaster versions of the Kewpie-Doll could be won at county fairs and carnivals. It is this cheap, bogus, derivative Kewpie that sprang to my mind the day after the election. The drawings relate to actions, events, and tweets happening each week, and are intended to be, at the same time, humorous and as deadly serious as our situation. We have given Kewpie free-reign in the White House to act out each week’s bizarre and brutal reality show.

All drawings are 12”x 9” graphite on vellum surface, bristol-board.

Here are five recent drawings from the P.T.S.D. series.

1. Week 104 Bonus 12 “Kewpie Little” 11/2/18

Kewpie engages in “Trumped-up” fear-mongering about weary families who trek

thousands of miles in hopes of protecting themselves and their children.

2. Week 111 “Puberty Leading the Peeps” 12/19/18

With apologies to Eugene Delacroix, Kewpie whips up frenzy amongst his

base, urging them to the barricades.

3. Week 114 “Take That Thing Down…” 1/9/19

Ironically, without regard for her symbolism, Kewpie would replace “Liberty”

with xenophobia. “Give me your tiara, your steel, your puddled copper yearning

to break free, the wretched refuse of your museum store…I lift my base beside

the border wall”

4. Week 117 “Kewpie Just Kan’t” 1/30/19

Kewpie says: “Nicknames are not complicated. Simple! Would a speaker by any

other name smell as sweet?”

5. Week 119 “A Koan For Kewpie” 2/13/19

Kewpie gets the ‘klap,’ but doesn’t really get it!

ITMFA!

www.carlaraejohnson.org

https://www.facebook.com/kewpie45/

KAREN GUANCIONE

https://www.facebook.com/karen.guancione