7 minute read
Performing the populist visual rhetoric
A satirical approach to understand the relation between images and politics
by Alix Ibar
The relation between image and politics has always been a subject of interest for academicians of different fields, such as sociology, politics, and visual studies. The last decade has seen a uniformization of the political visual aesthetic around the world, which can be explained as one of the consequences of the standardization of populist rhetoric in the worldwide political landscape.
The main characteristics of a populist discourse
There are different opinions on the “populism” word etymology, here it will be considered as a political communication strategy used by both far-right and far-left political parties. It’s characterized by the goal to mobilize popular support through the portrayal of “them” (the system, the media, the elite, the migrants, etc…)
versus “us” (the people, citizens of one nation). Populist leaders claim to be the true representatives of the populace and denounce those who are perceived to be against the people’s interests. Populist speeches often avoid nuance and complexity in favor of simple, direct messages that touch the spectators’ emotions . Discourses rooted in fear, combativeness and group identity rely on emotional rhetoric. Reality is often presented in a dichotomous manner to facilitate the engagement, and the leaders present themselves as the only figure of a radical change to fight against a defined enemy.
The performative approach
With his work titled One of Yours, the Spanish artist Daniel Mayrit gives us an illustration of how populism started to infiltrate our collective imagination, by applying a specific visual language. Mainly using photography and digital manipulation as a primary medium, the artist has taken a performative approach by portraying himself as a politician in campaign. This choice is also visible on the way he is curating his exhibition. The corner where his work is presented is decorated like a campaign stand with blue, white and red balloons - which are the colors of most of the traditional parties - and banners with his face and the slogan : ”The people stand with Mayrit”. There is a stand where we can find flyers, masks of his face, and printed versions of his manifesto, also available on his website.
“Politicians are selling their image and their ideas like it was a commercial product, with short punchlines that catches the consumers attention. ”
The will of making his own image a pure product of consumerism is a strategy that has been used by some politicians like Donald Trump with the phrase “You’re fired !” that has been reused on t-shirts, cups, and posters, during his campaign, becoming this way a pop-culture reference figure. This marketing strategy is an aspect of the transformation of the nowadays political rhetoric, influenced by a capitalistic society. Politicians are selling their image and their ideas like it was a commercial product, with short punchlines that catches the consumers attention. This trend has also been accelerated by the inevitable use of social media for politicians in order to reach a larger public. This practice imposes a faster, even instantaneous, form of expression, which must convey a clear and impactful message in just a few words, allowing no further analysis or reflection.
The visual rhetorical application
On Mayrit’s website, where most of his work is available, his project is divided into six different categories that show different aspects of the populist aesthetic. In “The chosen one”, he presents himself with open arms, often alone in a wide shot, in which we can recognize elements of identifiable symbols such as the Corcovado. He uses the image of a messianic leader coming to save the country, to appear like an untouchable figure. He reused a picture of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, riding a white horse in the snow which directly mobilizes a heroic fantasy aesthetic.
In “The Everyman”, he is shown feeding a lamb, copying the picture of David Cameron, ex-prime minister of the US. Another photo within this category diverts the image of the Canadian Justin Trudeau cuddling baby pandas, to show how this type of communication allows them to appear caring and close to the population.
In the category titled “The people’s favorite” he is representing the democratization of the very common practice of taking selfies with people on the street or in a political meeting. This became popular with Barack Obama during the 2012’s campaign. The goal of proving to the population that they are sharing the same habits and practices was a main part of his online presence. For example, he expressed his thoughts about a worldwide followed TV Show on Twitter just like any other fan and appeared as a result very approachable.
“ The Establishment’s foe” is a representation of how the distrust towards institutions is staged, by the very same people who incarnate it. Mayrit is presenting himself in a more combative posture, gagged in front of the European flag or having a committed speech in the European parliament.
The effect on the spectator
The phMuseum, an online curated platform for visual art, describes Daniel Mayrit’s work in those words: “The project makes use of the very same techniques that populism uses in its rhetoric and its images, but in an exacerbated Justin and ironic way so that it exposes and makes evident its artificiality."
If that might be true for most spectators observing the exhibition with the curator’s guidance, visiting the website is definitely a different experience. In order to challenge the spectator’s perception and critical thinking, the photographer used the internet as a medium to create confusion. As most of the information is now spread and consumed on the internet, some social media like X, for example, have become a space for political expression, especially for political campaigns.
On his website, a manifesto accompanies his visual work to show the link between text and image, and he re-uses all the characteristics of the populist rhetoric we defined earlier. “Sometimes I even find it difficult to recognize my own country. I hardly see our people anymore. But how did we get here? When did we stop feeling at home in our own house?” or later, “We have to put our people first. Our people, first. In a world with no respect for our traditions, without values and without order, who should we trust but ourselves? They think we are outdated. They feel ashamed of our customs when they are surrounded by their cultural elites.”
“The project makes use of the very same techniques that populism uses in its rhetoric and its images, but in an exacerbated and ironic way so that it exposes and makes evident its artificiality.”
Here, we find the same dynamics of defiance against the established order, and the idea of playing with the sense of belonging.
Daniel Mayrit’s online presence is blurring the lines, thus highlighting an important aspect. If the simplicity of his discourse and his mocking pictures can be taken for truth or even create a moment of confusion, it shows how much our collective imaginary are used to those discourses and how this uniformisation of the political proposition is reducing our ability to have a critical eye on political staging.
Emmanuel Macron visiting the Pope
