Politics of Idiocracy

Politics of Idiocracy archives journalistic photographs that are ruled an idiotic moment by the judgment of the internet in the careers of different politicians and public figures around the world. The archive investigates meme culture. It explores how a photograph transforms into a meme, and how the internet decides which image and which political figure is deemed “memeable”. The long-term project captures these idiotic moments. The memes have one thing in common, an idiotic moment captured by the camera. The memes reflect a moment when these people (constantly monitored by the press) finally break the surface and present the idiot within. Politics of Idiocracy seeks to mirror human fallibility. Additionally, the project battles patriarchy by zooming in on fragile masculinity.

This project is due to be exhibited in the project space of Het Wilde Weten artist-run space between 1 May and 15 June 2025. Politics of Idiocracy consists of three elements. First is a painting series of 120x120 cm painted on wooden canvases. These paintings are unfinished and therefore, not available on this page. It is expected to have 10 paintings by the time the exhibition is on display.

The second element is the archive. The archive investigates meme culture and how a photograph transforms into a meme by studying the dynamics of the internet's collective wisdom in deciding which image and which political figure is deemed “memeable”. The archive entries provide background information and a description of the situation in which the photograph has been captured. The entries also refer to the process and the stories behind the birth of the memes. The archive acts as the backbone of the project since the paintings and the discussion around the project are formed around these entries.

The archive can be found here @politicsofidiocracy

The third element is the podcast. These are conversations held between Pendar Nabipour and the invited guests. Discussions are formed around subjects such as digital culture, meme history, photojournalism, sociology, politics, specific stories behind certain memes, and more.