USA #NoKings Protests and Why I m so Concerned about California

In this post, I explain why my art blog and subreddit have taken a sharper political turn lately. As an artist based in progressive circles and deeply connected to California's creative communities, I feel a responsibility to speak up. When things go wrong in society, artists often notice first—and staying silent isn’t an option. Here's why raising my voice through memes, writing, and sculpture has become part of the work.

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There’s been a noticeable shift in tone lately—on my subreddit, on this site, even in the topics I’m choosing to write about. Maybe you’ve picked up on it. Maybe you’ve even wondered, “Why is this art page suddenly talking about politics?”

It’s not sudden. It’s overdue.

The short version? The train of consequences from what's happening in the world—climate breakdown, political backsliding, rising authoritarianism—is landing on the desks, studios, and minds of artists first. We’re often the early thermometers of cultural pressure. We don't just reflect change—we sense its tremors before it shows up in headlines.

And it’s been boiling for a while now.

California, where many of my close friends and connections live, has long been a progressive bellwether. But even there, in one of the most forward-looking states in the U.S., the cracks are showing. Housing. Policing. Corporate influence. The energy in the streets during protests speaks volumes, but not everyone can always march. Some of us are wired differently. Some of us use different tools.

This is mine.

The art world as we knew it has been in a coma for a few years now. You feel it in the galleries, in student critiques, in the silence around once-buzzing cultural platforms. But you also feel it in the defiant sparks of people who still care. Students. Independent artists. Anyone who's trying to remain free-thinking in an increasingly manipulated world. We’re still here, and we’re paying attention.

That’s why I’ve been writing more—on my site, in my subreddit r/modern_art_gallery, on any channel that will carry it. Not every post is a manifesto. Sometimes it's just a meme. But memes, as I’ve written before, are no joke. They’re the cultural DNA of our time—compressed commentary, passed along at light speed. If sculpture is slow-burning philosophy, meme is the spark. Both have their place. Both have urgency now.

This is my version of taking to the streets. My version of protest. My version of saying: we can’t let this slide.

Maybe your version looks different. That’s okay. Maybe you can’t take the day off. Maybe your way of raising your voice looks like sharing a post, joining a discussion, or just staying informed when others check out. But I believe we all have something to contribute.

I’m going to keep using my tools—steel, words, humor, frustration—to say what needs to be said. Even in a microscopic corner like vonhauerland.com or galacticfossils.com. Even if only a handful of you read this. Even if it gets buried in the feed.

Because it matters.

And I hope you’ll stick around. Not just for the sculptures or the ideas behind them, but because the line between culture and politics is thinner than ever—and sometimes welded shut.

Let’s not lose sight of what art is for.

Let’s keep the signal alive.