Isaac Cordal’s installation Follow the Leaders is a powerful commentary on the current state of western societies, as we face the ravages of unchecked capitalism and looming threat of environmental catastrophe. In a mise-en-scène on the gallery floor, miniature effigies of men in suits and ties grapple with some kind of disaster. These powerless, impassive figures sink into the rubble of urban disintegration, gradually engulfed by a ruined landscape.
The scene captures the paralysis of bureaucratic systems and the inaction of political leaders, while underscoring the obedient apathy of the masses before the threat of imminent collapse. The title’s black humour heightens the work’s critique of government passivity and the absurdity of capitalism’s empty promises. By denouncing collective inertia, Follow the Leaders seeks to build awareness and spur us into address the urgent challenges we face.
The installation takes visitors along a winding passageway through the ruined landscape displayed on the floor of Gallery 2. Conceived in situ, it integrates architectural elements like the raw material of the stone walls. And the artist’s meditation reaches beyond the gallery walls with the Cement Eclipses public art walk.
Photos by Stéphane Bourgeois