Amerika is my Fatherland, I was born there, I grew up there and then I became an expatriate for most of my adult life. I don't like much of what the United States stands for - rampant consumerism, a total disregard for the environment, dependence on war for economic gain, bullying, stupidity, and blinders when it comes to the concerns of the rest of the world.

I became interested in the various ways that curses and swear words were represented in literature, newspapers and comics, I compiled a number of examples, refined them, and decided to make a sheet of artistamps that used them. When I thought abut a context for them, "Amerika" came up, something worth swearing at.

I don't hate Amerika, i just don't like its cultural imperialism and its war mongering. Strangely, I have chosen to live in Canada - the country closest in every way to Amerika, a country that catches pneumonia when the United States sneezes, a country dominated by American culture and Amerika's vision of reality. But there is also a subversive edge to living in Canada, an ability to see Amerika for what it really is and to be able to reject it, or at least to play with it and use it for our own purposes.

I reject Amerika as the fatherland and I embrace Canada as the Motherland.

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