Divide and Conquer -- Artist Book by Maureen Cummins (page 2)

Detail from Divide & Conquer, Artist Book by Maureen Cummins

Divide and Conquer (2007) Divide and Conquer is a limited-edition portfolio that makes use of the early history of the Ku Klux Klan as a way to explore ideas about power, oppression, and terrorism. The physical form of the project was inspired by the game of Exquisite Corpse; the reader/viewer is invited to align and combine colorful pieces in a variety of ways, raising thoughts and questions about how communities come together and are torn apart. The print imagery also draws upon the visual language of toys and games (the figures themselves resemble paper dolls) to illustrate the way in which the Klan objectified individuals and attempted to play with and control people’s lives.