A bitter and resentful exhibition, 'Genuine Fake Premium Economy' at the ICA in London, showcases the fury of three American artists born in the mid-1980s: Jenna Bliss, Buck Ellison, and Jasmine Gregory. Coming of age during the 2008 financial crash, they channel their anger into works that critique a world built to enrich the few at the expense of the many.
Jenna Bliss: Millennial Despair in Video
Bliss's first video sets the tone with shaky, handheld shots of the New York skyline and financial district public art, overlaid with text like 'We survived Y2K but now the real world source code is malfunctioning' and 'Save the banks to save us all.' Her other video is an awkward sitcom episode set at a fictional 2007 art fair booth, packed with cocaine, Vice magazine, and a bubble about to burst. It's a familiar depiction of a gluttonous world, but may only resonate with art insiders.
Buck Ellison: Weaponised Culture
Ellison's work focuses on Orlo & Co, a fictional wealth advisory and multinational bank. Three light boxes act as bank ads, pairing classical paintings by Bronzino and Manet with stomach-turning taglines like 'In the hands of the few, for the good of the many.' Opposite, large vitrines contain objects from a young bank employee: doodles of sailing boats on high-end stationery, books by Machiavelli and Marcus Aurelius, and luxury luggage tags. It paints a vivid picture of the privileged finance bro, a man of gilets and khakis, embodying unearned success.
Jasmine Gregory: Luxury Absences
Gregory paints ads for luxury watches with the watches removed, leaving only portraits of wealthy men and their soon-to-be wealthy sons. A painting of the word 'divorce' sits askew on a plinth beside an empty champagne bottle. She projects price tags onto a blank canvas over a glamorous studio portrait of herself as a child with her mother. These works mourn a past of glamour and aspiration, replaced by anxiety over everyday costs.
The entire exhibition expresses deep frustration with a selfish, elitist society that rewards the few. It's not about deep trauma or identity politics, but the daily grind of flogging yourself for bad pay while bills rise and oil companies profit. The art is often ugly, but it reflects a grim, greedy world back at you, leaving you appropriately bitter and resentful. 'Genuine Fake Premium Economy' runs at the ICA, London, until 5 July.
