Tony Labat
I Want You
2008
I Want You
Commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and riffing on the “I Want You” army recruitment campaigns of the 1930s and 1940s, Tony Labat asked Bay Area residents to interpret the slogan and make their own demands of the public in a series of live performance auditions. Given one minute to seize the voice of authority, contestants were asked to be the finger-pointing Uncle Sam, and their performances—as on the TV program American Idol—were voted on by a live audience. Five winners were chosen and their image and slogans appeared on posters throughout San Francisco to coincide with the presidential elections. A video of all auditions premiered at SFMOMA on election night.
Since the early 1980s, Cuban-born Tony Labat has been an important participant in the California performance and video scene. A pioneer in video installation, Labat's work is renowned for its incisive commentary on issues of displacement and marginalization. His art often identifies with the “outsider,” be it the artist or the immigrant, reflecting his own experiences and broader societal observations. Labat's installations and performances are characterized by their innovative use of video, exploring themes of identity, cultural assimilation, and social critique. Educated at the San Francisco Art Institute, where he later became a faculty member, Labat has exhibited his work internationally, earning recognition for his thought-provoking and boundary-pushing contributions to contemporary art. His works are in the collections of major institutions, and he continues to influence new generations of artists through both his practice and teaching. Labat's art remains a powerful voice in addressing the complexities of immigrant experiences and the art world's evolving landscape.