Whitney Lynn

Bio

Whitney Lynn is an interdisciplinary artist who examines how visual elements influence the production and dissemination of political knowledge. Lynn attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, received a BFA in Sculpture and Extended Media from Virginia Commonwealth University, and MFA in New Genres from the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work has been exhibited at venues such as Exit Art, New York; Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco; and the 1708 Gallery, Plant Zero and the Anderson Gallery, in Richmond, Virginia.

Statement

“Bring the War Home,” a slogan embraced by radical dissenters of the Vietnam War, is re-imagined in a public art intervention addressing a new war, and the relationship of historical memory, political action, and visual culture. The project re-creates Psychological Operation (PSYOP) campaigns implemented in Iraq, in the form of screen-printed leaflet bombs and posters. The 'paper bullets' seek to influence attitudes and behaviors through visual coercion, and follow a curious cycle of context: although initially created by US forces (attempting to emulate the enemy target's visual style), the images are never intended to be seen by American viewers. Through re-presenting the images on San Francisco streets, the work attempts to highlight that although there is not a Ministry of Culture in the US, the creation of image plays a central role in political operations.