Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

With A Capital G
By
Michael C. Riedlinger

            Sometime during the spring ’06 semester at the University of Wisconsin - Parkside, the James Zehren sculpture “A Game of War” was removed for repairs. The pedestal it stood upon remained empty until October 31, 2007. That day, Andrew Hendricks, a senior Art Major, performed a piece he called “In God I Will Trust”. Hendricks’ piece combined the artistic esthetic of Trent Reznor with ritual magik and the anger felt by a nation towards itself. Anyone familiar with modern shamanistic rites could see that the performance was carried out with all the reverence of a Samhain rite, and I doubt that Hendricks chose the date for this performance lightly. Running all of maybe seven minutes, the artist allowed the small crowd that had gathered to witness a sort of spiritual cleansing, both for himself, and the nation he loves.

            Adorned in a suit and a gasmask, Hendricks cut an imposing figure. Once he approached the empty pedestal that would be his alter, the crowd fell silent. Religious experiences often inspire awe, and there was an unmistakable piety that swept the crowd when he entered. He swept the area with a broom in an act of cleansing and drew his ceremonial circle. After draping a tattered, well-loved flag over his alter space, Hendricks, now acting as an Orwellian magi, placed black and white candles at either end. He recreated the Masonic seal with a compass and L-square, replacing the “G” with a bible. Finally, he placed an urn atop the bible and filled it with a mysterious liquid from a syringe.

            Altogether, the ritual actions themselves seemed mundane. The imagery, however, was filled with meaning. Concealed by the mask, the well-dressed figure seemed to represent us, the average American. We are a people who hide under the armor of righteousness, shoving our beliefs at one another without thought or guilt. We cannot smell the metaphorical stink we create, either in our nation or around the world. We care only that the suit is pressed, and the luggage is trendy. This magus before the crowd was a reflection of us, all Americans, proud but sequestered while communing with the one true American God: The Almighty Dollar.

            Indeed, the next act Hendricks committed was to tear up a wad cash, place the remnants into the urn, and ignite a match. The burst of flame carried with it the acrid stench of sacrifice. The money burned as Hendricks kneeled and began to pray aloud through the filter of the gasmask.

“I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the republic, for which it stands, on nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and destruction for all”.

            After standing and peeling the rubber mask and gloves from his body, Andy stood quietly before the crowd and thanked them as a pastor might when concluding Sunday services. The message was clear: Give up your god and accept that we need change. Hendricks’ piece will have different meanings for different people, and the still images we have after the fact hold less of the ethereal viscera that was present in a live setting. Some will look at the remnants of the piece and see a man who hates his country, a man who defiles his flag with profane ritual and vitriolic fervor. They are wrong, but still entitled to their opinion.

            Andrew Hendricks is an artist who wants us to wake up and see what we have become. He is aware of our nation’s origins, symbols, and fears and has combined them to send a message on a day considered more sacred than Christmas by some. In the end, it is up to us to act or continue in our apathy. If we answer the prayers of the artist, we will give up our monetary, self-absorbed obsessions and reach out to one another. Hendricks closes his artist statement by entreating us, “Go forth children and fulfill our ambitions and end the current incarnation of this, our spiritually ill fatherland, the United States of America”. So, with the holidays approaching, perhaps we should keep this performance in mind and ask what we are truly looking for from life, from each other, and especially from our nation.