The race to the Whitehouse reaches Glasgow

Drawings of the presidential candidates have been revealed as part of the People's Palace exhibition Fizzers: 10 Years of Caricature!

Article Source: Glasgow Museums
Last Updated: 26 August 2016 8:25

As Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton fight it out to be the president of the most powerful nation on earth, artists from the Scottish Cartoon Art Studio have captured both candidates in caricature.

The artworks will be new additions to the exhibition Fizzers: 10 Years of Caricature, which features drawings of over 120 international icons and Scottish celebrities.

Studio Co-ordinator Terry Anderson and creator of the Trump caricature said: “I was an art student in the USA during the 1996 Presidential campaign - Bill Clinton was running for re-election against Bob Dole. The two provided a decent amount of material for cartoonists and satirists to work with, but I don’t think there’s ever been a race as bizarre in tone and dense with incident as this one.

“We waited in anticipation as the two parties selected their candidates. Now that the outcome is known, and the real campaigning gets underway in September, we’re happy to complete our display with the caricature of Clinton and Trump.

“In the UK the art form of caricature is often conflated with political satire. To this day, Spitting Image casts a long shadow. However, the Fizzers artists don’t editorialise in our work. The humour is focused entirely on the playful interpretation of the faces of the subjects, so visitors will have to reach their conclusions when they see our take on Clinton and Trump.”

The drawings will sit side by side in the gallery until America votes on 8th November. Then, when the winning candidate is announced, the display will be updated, and the President Elect’s caricature moved to the ‘top spot’ currently occupied by Derek Gray’s drawing of President Barack Obama.

Republican Party candidate and real estate mogul, Donald J. Trump celebrated his 70th birthday this year. If elected, he would be the oldest president in history and the first elected president in more than 60 years without experience as a governor or in Congress.

No stranger to Scotland, Trump recently visited the former home of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod (1912 – 2000), in the village of Tong on the Isle of Lewis. In 1930 Mary set sail on the SS Transylvania - she was one of 363,000 Scots who migrated to America over the previous decade. In 2011, Trump whipped up controversy with the construction of a luxury golf course on a beach in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.

Democratic Party candidate, Hillary Clinton has served as secretary of state, U.S. senator from New York, first lady of the United States, first lady of Arkansas, a practising lawyer and law professor. She turns 69 two weeks before the election, and would become the second-oldest president on the inauguration.

Clinton also has ancestral links with the UK, her mother Dorothy Emma Howell (1919–2011), was of Scottish, English, French-Canadian and Welsh descent.

Councillor Archie Graham, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “In January 2017 America will have a new leader. When the US picks its president, it is not only choosing a head of state but a head of government and a commander-in-chief of the largest military on the planet.

“Now the two candidates are confirmed they will be dashing from state to state in a frenzied campaign to win votes. Although this is happening thousands of miles away across the pond, you can’t help to get caught up in the excitement and spectacle of the American election.

“We are witnessing an immensely important time in world politics. It is fitting that the People’s Palace, our museum dedicated to social history, is engaging with what will be regarded as an enormously significant time in history. Fizzers: 10 Years of Caricature is already an incredible success, and these new artworks add even more interest to this fantastic exhibition.”

The name ‘Fizzer’ is adapted from the Glaswegian slang for face. At the exhibition visitors of all ages can delight in the drawings of well-known Fizzers from across the world.

This exhibition reflects upon a decade’s worth of Fizzers selected from the existing collection of 400+ caricatures created in a mix of traditional and digital media. Visitors can share their favourite fizzer on social media using #fizzers10

A programme of activities and events inspired by Fizzers will take place alongside the exhibition, including a chance to try your hand at creating a caricature at workshops.

Fizzers: 10 Years of Caricature at Glasgow’s People’s Palace runs until 26th March 2017.