“Everything’s Fine”

   These images are from a large body of works using a similar composition often superimposed by the phrase “Everything’s Fine.”   Painted in June – November 2001. The paintings seem to forecast the World Trade Center disaster.  As Americans enjoyed a blissful ignorance of the world outside the United States. The events of 9/11 would shock Americans and the world, dramatically changing American foreign policy and thinking.  The strong economy and low unemployment would turn to recession and a high level of unemployment, and as the smoke rose from Ground Zero America would head to war. 

   At the time of 9/11 I lived in New York City on Broadway about 8 blocks from the Twin Towers.  I experienced the events first-hand and was forced to flee my studio. Running up Broadway to escape the dust cloud.  Later finding a room in a hotel that night.  In my room I began expanding the imagery of the “Everything’s Fine” series to include new images of the Trade Center, bent steel, and burning debris.  Immediately incorporating images I witnessed and images being broadcast on Television around the world.  Later as American soldiers invaded Afghanistan and Iraq these images were also reflected in my work. 

   The common theme in these works involves the sarcastic text chosen to address American political arrogance, global naïveté, and the wish to “return to normalcy.”  The last view can be seen directly in the painting “Normal” – thinking it questionable when war and destruction is a common fact of everyday life in some parts of the world.  In the United States we don’t expect to see violence of this nature.  This brings up the question of perspective, not the two-dimensional pictorial variety but of geographic, national, and personal views. Perspectives dominated the long debate before engaging Iraq.  Since invading Iraq, American perspectives of foreign countries have changed due to their support or lack of it – in a ground war.  Also, one must realize the reverse perspective of a totalitarian ruled Iraq where people were not only oppressed but misled by propaganda and force.  America is increasingly subjected to its own brand of propaganda as news agencies are frequently more like political mouthpieces. 

   This imagery is concerned with the attitudes and events in the time just before 9/11 and post 9/11 leading to war more than directly being about war itself.  Yet, I think the ideas carry over as Americans try to perpetuate the lifestyle we have known and enjoyed - despite events experienced since 9/11 in a time of war. 
Blake Sandberg 

     Items saved from 9/8 - 9/12/2001
     Matches from Windows on The World
     Millineum Hilton room key card
     W Hotel Union Square key card
     The Frick Collection Ticket 9/9/2001

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"Bond of Heaven and Earth"  map of Manhattan, the circle shows location of Sandberg's studio 2001-2005