This show included works by Blake Sandberg including the "TECHNOSPHERE"
installation, several large paintings, and a commissioned billboard painting entitled,
"BILLIONS OF SERVANTS". The painting consisted of nine pieces of plywood and
is a full-size billboard twelve by twenty-two feet across. The image consists of a
hamburger, French fries, a drink and a very large toothy grin - emblazoned with the
words "COMBO NATION" across it. This painting was publicly displayed like a
billboard on the side of the highway for a matter of days during the opening events
for the exhibition.
It was Sandberg's intention to create an image that might at first be confused as an
actual advertisement for a hamburger establishment. In some ways the billboard
painting functions as an advertisement for the show itself. "BILLIONS OF SERVANTS"
title is a joke on the famous McDonald's slogan, "Billions Served."
Blake also attempted to acknowledge the location of the billboard by painting the one
word greeting to the locals of the Marfa area, "Hola" (Hello). Marfa is not far from the
US/MEXICO border, many of it's residents are from Mexico originally.
The painting is the artist's largest painting to date and it simply illustrates his use of
differing painting techniques and forms to establish an exciting image with a direct
concept and an interesting twist on billboard signage and the role images like this
have in our daily lives in America.
