Nina Katchadourian: Monument to the Unelected
Center for Art and Dance east lawn
October 22–November 24, 2024
Listen to artist Nina Katchadourian’s introduction to Monument to the Unelected.
Read the Minnesota Star Tribune article about this installation.
St. Olaf College’s Flaten Art Museum is pleased to present Nina Katchadourian’s Monument to the Unelected (2008 and ongoing). This temporary installation is a series of election lawn signs bearing the names of every major-party candidate who ever ran for the office of president and lost. It was created by Katchadourian for the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in 2008, and has been exhibited during every presidential election cycle since then. These are not historical signs; each sign made for this project has been designed to look contemporary, even if it advertises a candidate from a previous century. Many of the signs borrow directly from real election signs the artist has observed and documented in different parts of the country. Like familiar political lawn signs, these signs are printed on corrugated plastic using the same commercial production methods. At the moment when the country is deeply preoccupied with a major national election, Monument to the Unelected presents a view and a reminder of the country’s collective political road not taken. Monument to the Unelected has been exhibited at public sites, in front of private homes, and in museums and galleries.
This non-partisan artwork is presented in conjunction with Practicing Democracy (September 13–December 10, 2024) at the Flaten Art Museum. It will be on view outside the Center for Art and Dance main east doors from October 22 to November 24, extending the exhibition’s conversations beyond the gallery walls. Following the November 5th election, one St. Olaf student who is a first-time voter will add the unelected candidate’s sign to the group.
About the Artist
Nina Katchadourian is an interdisciplinary artist whose work includes video, performance, sound, sculpture, photography, and public projects. Her video Accent Elimination was included at the 2015 Venice Biennial in the Armenian pavilion, which won the Golden Lion for Best National Participation. Katchadourian’s work is in public and private collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Blanton Museum of Art, Morggan Library & Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Margulies Collection, and Saatchi Gallery. Katchadourian lives and works in Brooklyn and Berlin and she is a Clinical Professor on the faculty of NYU Gallatin. She is represented by Catharine Clark Gallery and Pace Gallery.
Are you a teacher?
Monument to the Unelected offers multiple entry points for teaching, learning and enrichment. Explore the installation’s Teaching Guide for creative ways to integrate the exhibition into your coursework.
Additional Resources and Press
“This campaign sign graveyard is bringing election losers back from the dead”—Washington Post
“‘Monument to the Unelected’ recalls presidential hopefuls who came in second”—LA Times
“The Artist Building a Campaign Sign Graveyard”—Newsweek
“Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center Presents New Installation ‘Monument to the Unelected’”—CSUF News
“Nina Katchadourian: Monument to the Unelected”—LAist
“Here’s to the Losers: Art installation highlights past presidential wannabes”—Spectrum News
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art – Assistant Curator Lauren R. O’Connell in conversation with Nina Katchadourian
“A vehicle for imagining alternative futures.”—Hyperallergic
“Whoever Loses the US Presidential Election Will Be Immortalized in Artist Nina Katchadourian’s Graveyard for Political Signs”—Art Net
Fox 10 explores the political signs featured in Monument to the Unelected.
“Katchadourian’s Monument may be one of the most penetrating political artworks of the present moment.”—Forbes
Los Angeles Times featured Monument to the Unelected in Art exhibit on an O.C. lawn displays signs for failed candidates in every U.S. presidential election.
The People on These Political Signs All Have Something in Common by Los Angeles Magazine takes a look at Monument to the Unelected.
Monument to the Unelected is also on view in 2024 at these participating institutions:
Roots Community Health Center, Oakland, CA
Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA
SMoCA, Scottsdale, AZ
The di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa, CA
Home of Abrahamson Family Collection, Madison, WI
Grand Central Arts, Santa Ana, CA
Image: Nina Katchadourian: Monument to the Unelected, installation view, Flaten Art Museum, St. Olaf College, 2024. Courtesy of the artist, Catharine Clark Gallery, and Pace Gallery. Photo: Enrico Tamayo
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