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Watch the Watchers

Watch the Watchers

"Who will watch the watchers?" - Juvenal

Penned in 100 AD, Juneval’s most memorable quotation is a prescient warning about the unchecked power of overlords. Did he wax a little dramatic-slash-paranoid? Fair enough. But this observation feels more relevant than ever. 

Whether it’s big government, big tech, big data, or any of the other bigs, we ignore Juvenal's question at our own peril. 

Has big tech merged into one giant, all-seeing, algorithmic eye that tracks our interactions, maps our social networks and locations, monitors our vitals, then analyzes, packages and sells that data to the other bigs? 

Have the other bigs formed one bigger big? Or have we binge-watched too much Black Mirror?

Being constantly wired in is new to human beings, and we derive our best guesses regarding its detrimental effects from dystopian literature and totalitarian governments. 

Neither of which is comforting.

In our illustration, a group of dazed individuals bask in the light of their screens, their shadows casting avatars into a cloud of ones and zeros. The human hive forms the shape of a giant panopticon-like eye, peering curiously through the print into your house. 

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SPECIAL OFFER
Any 3 prints for $48 (regularly $72)
Code: 3PRINTS
See all prints here 

• 11x14 inch art print with white border 
• Premium, fine art paper made in New York 
• Elegant eggshell finish
• Ships in a a rigid, flat mailer. No need to unroll! 
• Fits into standard 11x14 frames (or a 16x20 frame matted to 11x14) 

 

$ 24.00

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About Us

Obvious State is a creative studio and independent press founded by Nichole and Evan Robertson in 2011. We make bold, conceptual art that makes you think again.

In the age of clickbait, infotainment, and overstimulation, slow thought has become a luxury. Our work exists to change that. Every piece is handcrafted by Evan — art and language that provoke thought, inspire curiosity, and make the ideas that have always mattered feel urgent again.

Our books and prints are available in our shop and in bookstores and boutiques nationwide.

Our work has been featured at The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Writers Museum, The Emily Dickinson Museum, The Library of Congress, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and more.