The Bunker SLO‘s current anti-Trump show is about educating the community before the election and displaying the beliefs of owner Missy Reitner-Cameron—even if it means risking potential loss of business and bad reviews.
“I don’t care about being neutral anymore because I can’t. I can’t be quiet anymore,” she told New Times. “I have a 22-year-old daughter living in a major city, and reproductive health is on the ballot in the city she’s living in right now, and I never, ever thought I would have to worry about that.”
Partnering with longtime political activist and artist Robbie Conal to curate the show—titled What Could Possibly Go Wrong?—the two have worked over the course of a year gathering California artists to spread awareness about what they say is the most important presidential election of their lives.
“This moment before this election, art is capable of addressing issues of democracy and everything that’s at stake,” Conal said. “Right now, this is it.”
The show is hosting the works of eight artists including Conal himself and local artist Lena Rushing. Some pieces, such as Mark Bryan’s The Party of Lincoln, were made specifically for the show.
Bryan’s painting, which took around two months to complete, gives us a glimpse into what he thinks is going on in the Republican Party.
“It’s got the Proud Boys, and the Klan, and the six Supreme Court judges, and all the MAGA people with their stupid trucks, and then there’s the petroleum companies behind it,” he said. “But there’s also a sort of happy message because the whole thing goes off a cliff.”
Beginning his work as a political artist during the Nixon era, Bryan said that while in each election the consequences of voting in the wrong candidate seem dire, this time it feels different.
“It’s really nuclear decision time as far as which way this country is going, and that’s why this show is here,” he said.
Being able to have community members come to The Bunker and dissect the elements of his painting and form their own ideas about the Republican Party is scary, he said. But it also has a purpose, as it could bring up topics that might not have been discussed before. That, he said, is what political art is all about.
Bryan said he applauds Reitner-Cameron and his fellow artists in the show because it takes a certain amount of courage to show work that’s challenging or has a strong opinion, especially when you have a business to run as well.
Curator Conal said that’s the point of the show, to showcase art with deep stories and details that allow viewers the opportunity to connect with it.
“You can have a relationship with these paintings, and I think that’s the idea,” he said. “That’s the advantage of being in a gallery like The Bunker.”
While the Central Coast doesn’t have the same clout as bigger cities in the state such as Los Angeles and San Francisco when it comes to art, Conal said The Bunker is one place that’s trying to turn that around.
“There aren’t that many actual art galleries in SLO, even in the Central Coast, bringing this kind of art—art about social and political issues—here to a space where a viewer can actually spend some time and maybe be tickled into thinking along with us about issues that we think are important,” he said. “Here they can have a cup of coffee and a little snacky-poo, and that relationship is a real art experience, and I’m very excited to have that available in SLO.”
Other works include Lena Rushing’s shadow box with paper, pins, and needles depicting the beheading of six Supreme Court justices; a detailed painting of the 2018 Parkland High School shooting; and the art of Ron Hauge, a writer for The Simpsons, Seinfeld, and National Lampoon.
Reitner-Cameron said those interested in checking out the show also have an artist talk to look forward to on Oct. 20 before the show wraps up after the Nov. 5 election.
“We had the SLO Democrats here signing people up, giving away signs, [doing] voter registration. They were here last night with Planned Parenthood doing a bring-your-own-ballot event where people could come and ask questions and hear from the SLO Democrats and what their ideas are,” she said. “It’s trying to open this space up for this kind of use.” Δ
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Oct 17-27, 2024.