by Carl Frederik Waage Beck on oktober 6, 2010
In preparing for the exhibition due next year I am often asked the question, “Why do you paint the Danish political leaders?”
True to tradition I can’t help but include some indignation in my exhibitions, and the upcoming one – “The Candidates” – won’t be an exception. The next Danish general election is due no later than November 16th 2011, and I thought an exhibition would be a brilliant occasion to zoom in on the electoral options.
Who do we want leading this nation?
Power demands humility, but sadly, power has been wielded with anything but Humility in the recent history of this country. As the opposing virtue of the most deadly cardinal sin Superbia or Pride, Humility is a rarity among politicians who fight each other to become the prom-queen of Parliament. In other words, who can look more attractive and important to the electorate?
There is one candidate that stands out however.
Defined by Dante as “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbour.” Pride is probably best witnessed when looking at the behaviour of the queen of a certain national socialist party a.k.a. The Danish People’s Party.
Since 2001 the DPP has had the unique power of being able to tip the scales, and thus possessed a strong bargaining position which it has not been slow to exploit at any opportunity to tighten the laws on immigrants and refugees. This can hardly be described as Humility.
For these deeds the leader of the DPP Pia Kærsgaard is awarded the sin “Pride – Superbia”, and will have her very own according portrait painted at the exhibition “The Candidates” in February.
Until then you have to make make do with a simple photo of her from the DPP campaign that is running at the moment. The painted portrait will surprise and delight, so join the exhibition!
Stay tuned to see who wins the remaining 6 awards:
Avaritia – Greed
Luxuria – Lust
Invidia – Envy
Gula – Gluttony
Ira – Wrath
Acedia – Sloth
…and who, if any, dodges the award…
Enjoy!
Continue to read about the Cardinal sin Wrath
The current way DPP shows off it's leader.
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by Carl Frederik Waage Beck on september 29, 2010
“In Charge” (Helle Thorning Schmidt and Stephen Kinnock), 200×140 cm., 2010, Oil pastel and acrylic on Canvas, 22.000 kr.
On Sep 16th. the Danish IRS exonerated Helle Thorning-Schmidt and her husband Stephen Kinnock.
It seems all is well that ends well. Except for the fact that our political system is still bancrupt and politics has nothing to do with fighting for the good of the people and everything to do with protecting power and income.
3 questions remain:
1. Why do politicians continue to bribe and slander when their energy should be spent listening and leading?
2. When will the press own up to it’s political leanings and admit when it’s pursuing agendas?
3. Why vote for any politician that has too much at stake not to have the balls to lead?
The current state of demoCRAZY is forcing any sane person to stay at home come the next election. Even though it’s a silent support of the incumbent, what is the alternative?
Left and right is now vying for the middle ground and taking turns bribing the electorate with any and all trick in the book. Government is bending over for the soap whenever they need the help of the national-socialists a.k.a. Danish Peoples Party to pass another state budget.
The term “Independent Press” has never seemed more like a charade. This was aptly demonstrated in the tax scandal raised against Helle T-S. The right-leaning tabloid BT brought the “story” to the surface while the left leaning former broadsheet Politiken fought to suppress it and defend Helle. The outcome of the matter became irrelevant when the two papers didn’t even have the integrity to admit their real political agendas. No wonder print is dying. Content and integrity is EVERYTHING.
Pointing the proverbial 3 fingers at myself (and the rest of the electorate), Why do we even waste our time going to the polls? Next election is due no later than november 16th. 2011. Will I believe next time that it matters? Will you? If not, this state has a serious problem.
Let me take this opportunity to promote an alternative. My next exhibition “The Candidates” opens in central Copenhagen in February/March 2011. Come, eat and drink, chat with friends, and most importantly VOTE for your Candidate. Each Candidate will be represented with their own painting, one of which is revealed above this text. More information will follow here on this blog as the date approaches. If you want to make certain you receive an invitation then sign up for the newsletter “Studionotes” in the top right corner.
Enjoy!
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by Carl Frederik Waage Beck on september 27, 2010
I don’t get out much these days, as I usually stay at home to take care of the kids.
Having finished a few paintings in the “War is Coming Home” series, something got me thinking about the lives of the Talibans or talibs if you will.
What are they like, and what’s the deal, you know – really… Some light research ensued and, tadaah!
So here goes – The top 10 list of things you probably didn’t know about Taliban:
10: The Taliban consists mainly of Mujahideen and as it were, former allies of the West.
9: Many Talibs actually do smoke, regardless of what Mullah Omar says,
8: The majority of the Taliban movement is made up of Pashtun tribemembers practicing the moral code “Pashtun Wali” which has hospitality as one of it’s cornerstones.
7: The Taliban established an Ombudsman in 2009.
6: While not in combat, the Taliban enjoy a good game of rock-throwing.
5: The Taliban numbered roughly 45.000 in 2001, 11.000 in 2008 and 36.000 in 2010.
4: Ahmad Shah Massoud (Leader of the opposing United Front/Northern Alliance) stated in 2001 that without help from Pakistan, the Taliban would not be able to sustain their military campaign for a year – Since 2001 Pakistan has received 11,5 bln. USD in military aid from the United States.
3: On october 4 2001, Pakistan refused an offer from the Taliban to have Osama Bin Laden handed over for trial on the grounds that Pakistan could not guarantee his safety.
2: Few Talibs have ever read the Koran, but rather learn it by heart verbally.
1: Since 2004 the Taliban has been known as the “Islamic Insurgency”.
I find myself just a tad better informed now, hope you do too.
The painting below “Forever after Silent” is the third in the series “War is Coming Home”. If you’re from anywhere around Copenhagen you might recognize the backdrop.
Enjoy!
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by Carl Frederik Waage Beck on september 19, 2010
Some days have passed since my last post.
I have been busy taking care of the twins + working my “day job” in the the Danish Defence. I earn my living there briefing up soldiers on cultural awareness and how to communicate in a manner that creates friends rather than more enemies.
I did find some time for a new series of paintings based on a piece I did earlier this year.
That painting was of Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, featuring a burnt-out Humvee in front of the parading Royal Lifeguards.
The point of this series is to try to imagine what it would be like if the theatre of war was Denmark rather than some remote country like Afghanistan.
To many people in Denmark, the conflict in Afghanistan is costly, and hard to understand.
It’s remote, and whatever news-stories emerge on the evening news are hard to relate to.
What would happen if every news-story related to a location in Denmark?
The second painting in the series is posted below. It’s titled “Power Disruption” and features Christiansborg – home of the Danish parliament, with a burned-out bus in front. Enjoy!
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by Carl Frederik Waage Beck on august 30, 2010
There was a time when a politician was a person you elected to lead your country.
You elected this person because of the ideals and principles she represented.
You elected this person because you wanted her to enact change.
At the end of the term, you re-elected her if you still believed in her.
There was a time when a politician was a person who wanted to lead the country.
She ran for election because she believed in ideals and principles.
She ran for election because she wanted to change the world.
At the end of the term she was re-elected if she had been true to her ideals and principles.
There was a time when being a politician was a vocation and a privilege.
There was a time when leadership was about doing what’s right for the country.
There was a time when fearing the judgment of the people made you unfit to lead.
There was a time when politicians were judged by their ability to lead.
What else do you need to know about your politician?
Getting to know Helle Thorning Schmidt
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Founder of the "Copenhagen Stuckists", Carl Beck has since 2005 emerged as a controversial community activist artist working under the pseudonym "Paintshooter"
As a former FX-trader in the global currency markets, Carl Beck has now turned his attention to the individual in a globalized world. The work of Carl Beck has hung in group and solo shows in Denmark and France. 
