“Trader-Foes” Series
Aluminum Bottles , Decal Prints, Alcohol %75 and Essential Oil, 2021-2023.
This project stems from the appropriation of Trader Joe's Hand Sanitizer Handshake bottles.
This project entailed more than a year of research on U.S. relations with "Allies,” international entities, and firms (Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and the U.K.), the amount of trade, the nature of trade, and the history of these trades. Additionally, U.S. relations with Pharma and Weapon Companies became another focus area of my research. The focus was on the correlation between deals and contracts and the political donations of these companies, both directly and indirectly, to both parties at the local and national levels. Further research drew my attention to the impact of “allies” and the private sector on the U.S. political landscape. Moreover, as my work was expanding, the function of the U.N. came to my attention. It became more apparent that its role is determined by the complex web of U.S.-allied war and pharmaceutical industries, and their influence on how the U.N., as an "international" entity, functions in the face of all the recent humanitarian crises around the world.
My research served as the basis for the drug facts, disclaimers, and directions on these hand sanitizer bottles, mirroring the language of medical commodities in the U.S. while incorporating dark humor in the form of facts that are often overlooked when purchasing products.
These hand sanitizers suggest that by using them, one can wash their hands of the disproportionate damage the U.S. causes to people around the world by its dealings, trades, and affairs with countries and entities nationally and internationally.
These bottles are categorized as: U.S-Saudi, U.S-Turkey, U.S-Israel, U.S-U.K, U.S-U.N, U.S-Pfizer and U.S-Lockheed Martin.
