We Need to Talk

Special subjects require special book formats: the publication We Need to Talk bursts open the customary bound body of the book and unfolds its appeal on ten posters that, folded twice, reveal eighty single pages. Their contents center exclusively around the man who has dominated the media since January 2017: Donald J. Trump. As the forty-fifth president of the United States of America, within just a brief period of time he has created more confusion than any of his predecessors ever did—whether through his disparaging remarks about immigrants and women, whether by instigating the construction of a wall at the border to Mexico, or whether by ignoring ecopolitical issues. The New York-based Petzel Gallery took on Trump’s campaign promises and appearances even before his surprise victory. The collection of works constitutes a platform on which artists and visitors an enter into a dialogue about issues concerning civil rights, immigration, and the environment. Videos, paintings, drawings, and installations capture this historical moment, about which we will have to continue talking for a long time to come.