
Media: Oil and rubbish on canvas
Year: 2016
Collection: Would I Lie to You: the Art of Politics and Propaganda
In surveillance we trust.
EXPOS3D is an immersive gallery exhibition of
physical, digital & interactive art where AI surveillance, God & rebellion battle for our future.
BETA: 12-18 OCTOBER 2025
Media: Oil and rubbish on canvas
Year: 2016
Collection: Would I Lie to You: the Art of Politics and Propaganda
Size (H x W): 90cm x 90cm (2 ft 11 ins x 2 ft 11 ins)
Propaganda is being delivered so effectively by governments worldwide that their goal for the attainment of even more wealth and position seems assured while responsible and accountable behaviour appears immaterial. In response to the mass confusion created by those in power through media channels, and consequently to the helplessness we often feel due to excessive and conflicting information, in 2016 I exhibited a series of ten augmented reality oil paintings of world leaders and media ‘influencers’ created from rubbish found on the streets of Edinburgh. This exhibition coincided with the November 2016 US presidential election. Each artwork can be scanned with the Artivive app to trigger the AR experience portraying a very different narrative to that which the ‘sitters’ perpetuate.
Would I Lie to You: the Art of Politics and Propaganda
In an age where truth is routinely manipulated and mass media serves as a smokescreen for political gain, propaganda has become more powerful and more dangerous than ever. Would I Lie to You confronts this disturbing reality head-on.
Exhibited in 2016 to coincide with the US presidential election, this series of ten augmented reality oil portraits reimagines global leaders and media figures using rubbish collected from the streets of Edinburgh, symbols of the corruption and disposability at the heart of political theatre. Each painting reveals a second, hidden narrative when viewed through the Artivive app, exposing unsettling truths that lie beneath the polished public facades.
This body of work is both a protest and a provocation, responding to the overwhelming flood of misinformation and the growing helplessness of the public in the face of power unchecked and unaccountable.
Demo videos of the augmented reality portrait paintings: Tony Blair and David Cameron
Out of the Blue, Drill Hall
November 2016
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