Morag Keil's 2014 Exhibition Explores Cannibalistic Capitalism Through Warhol-Inspired Works

Morag Keil's 2014 exhibition featured a provocative entrance question in ransom-note font: 'Would you eat your friends?' The show included Piss Paintings from 2014, created with urine-oxidized copper paint in reference to Andy Warhol's Oxidation Paintings from 1977–78. Tabloid prints displayed lo-res internet images hung in two rows, juxtaposing grim rental room photos from Gumtree and Craigslist with polished real estate ads like one from London agency Felicity J. Lord. A single violet-eyed painting overlooked a paint-streaked plastic dollhouse, while a screengrab showed the artist's Mac desktop wallpaper: Oliviero Toscani's 1989 Benetton ad depicting a black woman nursing a white baby. Critic and curator Kari Rittenbach authored the exhibition's press release, which referenced 'greasy motherfuckers' and examined data consumption by corporations and algorithms. The installation connected cannibalism metaphors to contemporary capitalism, drawing parallels to Bong Joon-ho's 2014 film Snowpiercer, where economic disparity forces cannibalism among 99% of survivors. Keil's work critiques monetized online relationships and self-branding as survival strategies in housing markets, presenting bodily retaliation through urine-based works that acknowledge economic futility. The exhibition originally appeared in ArtReview's October 2014 issue.