"'Nightmare Propaganda' functions as a bridge between the artist (Marcelese Cooper) and the figures that have guided him through life in countless nightmares and late-night visions but it also presents itself as an odyssey laid out under the guise of pulling the term ‘nightmare’ into a more positive realm. The audience is met with images of three different humanoid creatures (the denizens of an ominous black and white landscape that emits an energy of unnerving serenity common to cosmic horror) each with their respective titles and roles to assist dreamers in making the most of their waking life. 'Nightmare Propaganda' is about understanding the functions and origins of one’s own fear, unpacking what it is we must confront in ourselves, and just what it is we misunderstand about others and how that all translates from our slumber back into our lives. Through a series of self-portraits paired with video vignettes of our ghoulish guardians, the artist functions as a conduit channeling these characters and we come to better understand the denizens and not only what they do but how they feel. This series is speaking on behalf of twisted forms and bumps in the night, for the cryptic and the unseemly sights, for the darkest of shadows and the coldest of nights; this is on behalf of nightmares."
the space in between in conversation with Marcelese Cooper —
Jan. 2022 — In this video, we talk, laugh, and ponder with the 3rd Place winner of our first open call, "the space in between", Marcelese Cooper. We dive into his practice—most specifically his project "Nightmare Propoganda"—along with nightmares, organization skills, cosplay, horror movies, and some other stuff. <3