Opinion – What Al Margen’s Artwork Means?

Majority of artists create art because they have something to say in a way that is loud and bursting with color to make it stand out. Al Margen prefers to take a mirror and put it on society to show us who we really are.

Al Margen is an illustrator from Argentina. His work is known for having commentators across the net trying to figure out what he meant by what he drew. Some of them are quite obvious in what it’s saying, but other times the range of opinions might tip the scale. Here is my take on the art of Margen.

This image, to me, says we allow the media to feed us. By feed us, I mean that in every [mental] way you can think of. We sit back on our couches – no matter where in the world we are and we let the television, the paper, the internet, and even our neighbors who hear everything word-of-mouth – dictate what is true and what is not. All from our couches and not going out and seeing these things for ourselves. That’s how alternative facts and bias research without proof is created.

Another day goes by and social media dictates the perfected look of acceptability. Men and women (seemingly more women each day) snap images of themselves to get likes, shares, and ultimately… fame. There used to be a time where pulling stunts like this were just to fight back on body-shamers, but then it became normal for the internet to use nudity as a way to become known. This ranges from ordinary bored people who seek that attention to celebrities that are losing their fame and trying to stay in the spotlight.

Just a few simple words; even if you wanted to leave, you couldn’t. As was and always will be mentioned, the majority of the population on Earth is stuck online. Especially teenagers – though it’s not to say we don’t have a fair share of adults glued to their seats (I mean, look at me, writing online, when I could be enjoying a good night outside). We also have the younger generation catching up on technology so there may be an updated version of this image later on in his lifetime.

I’ve seen a few comments on Facebook that discuss the importance of this image. A good portion of those comments say education is the key to freedom while another good portion mentions creativity being held back. My take on this one is that the key to true freedom isn’t one or the other, but both. Doing what you love to do and not looking back at the ones holding you back. Not allowing those pulling at your feet to bring you back to the ground and live like them.

Some are going to hate me for this, but I view this image as no matter what you smoke, be it cigarettes or recreational or medicinal marijuana, you will lose your life over it. Smoking cigarettes comes with a list of things that can kill you without even being the one to place your lips on the butt of it. Marijuana – regardless of your reason for using it, will kill you in other ways. Fighting for it, scavenging to find money for it when you have other things to pay, smoking it where it’s illegal and then your life is ruined in a whole new way.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against it and I’m all for using it medically and recreationally. We can all use some relaxation and if you need that relaxation but don’t want to pick up the green, try meditation. The benefits can be pretty exciting.

Ever wonder if that person on Instagram is truly reppin’ the things they put on? Well, some do. Others have no idea what they’re doing. Sure, they recycle to take care of the environment, but that fur is very much from the animals you claim to love oh-so-much. There are activists out there busting their booties that a lot of us haven’t heard of while the social media enthusiasts take the credit for likes and shares and a five second window of fame. This, of course, doesn’t apply to everyone, but for those that it does apply to, this one’s for you.

Death and retirement. The first two words that come to mind for most. With me, the first thing I think of isn’t a single word, but a collective set of them. Corporations set a time limit on their workers and those corporations are always the youngsters of old-heads that cast away the hard workers. The ones that never have to lift a finger to get their hands dirty and when they are finished, they end it both physically and sometimes mentally to make sure the retired workers never receive the money they worked hard to get. Why do you think wage is just good enough to work until you’re too old to enjoy yourself?

Not everyone makes it to enjoy it.

A large percentage of the world is drowning in religion, trying to be saved for Heaven and stay away from Hell. Those food drives, those cans sent in, would those same religious people continue to give food if religion became eradicated (never mind how it would be that way)?

This image is calling out those people that only do it for religion, in my opinion. Cans of food given away because the person doesn’t want it or they are reminded to do so from their local church(es).

This one just might be my favorite of this list. This depicts a musician playing music that people love to hear and not music they love to play. This is known as mainstream music and to make a lot of money people often give in to what the people want and not what they want.

Some artists – even if they go in as independent – will start out making their own music and loving every bit of what they do and then later on, when their fame is tiring out, they switch to something that is trendy. Granted they often lose a lot of their original fan base, but ultimately they are obsessed with being in the spotlight or they are under a contract that tells them to do so.

At first, I wasn’t going to put this image onto the list. But then I got to thinking; this is telling humans that one way to save ourselves is to remember our primitive mind. Remember that we did not start out with technology and that we used to get along with nature. Primitive vs. civilized is always up for debate when the chances arise, but think about it. The only time humans ever seemed “free” and able to be nomads (something I notice a lot of the world is craving) was when our ancestors were not attempting to dictate the moves of everyone else.

There has always been a leader as not everyone can lead, of course, but a lot of the time there was no reason someone couldn’t go anywhere they wanted. We were allowed to be as our minds were meant and our bodies loved. Sadly, the closer we got to where we are today that freedom was sacrificed for cat videos.