Paraphernalia Resurrected: Randy Mora

“There is nothing new under the sun”, ( Ecclesiastes 1: 9 ).  Each generation thinks they are better than the last,  but if that were so, why do we as a human race continue to repeat our old patterns and mistakes?   Colombian artist Randy Mora, takes vintage ephemera and creates digital collages that explore ideas that may seem to be modern yet still hearken to the styles of eras past.  His work reminds us that time has not erased our patterns and prejudices.

Mora’s illustrations seem to show us that none of the issues we face today is really all that new.  Man is man and has been of a similar nature since his beginning.

There has always existed a quest for wealth, for supremacy, for power and subjugation.  It seems to be in man’s very nature to isolate ourselves with others who are like us, judging and condemning those who are not.

We live in a world divided between “us” and “them”, being taught from an early age to look out for ourselves first, creating within us cynical, fearful souls who become so self-centered we are unable to empathize and understand anyone whose views may be different from our own.

The inability to empathize and see the world from someone else’s point of view too often breeds in us feelings of first fear, then of superiority.  Why are we afraid?  Why do we think ourselves better than another?  Each of us is born in the same way, completely innocent and knowing nothing of the world.   To see more of Randy Mora’s work, please visit his website.

Artist found via Escape Into Life.

Featured image is Este Año Sí…, commission for Dinero, Business & Economy Magazine.  All images are via the artist’s website.