HAMISH HALL

Nostalgia was better when I was a boy.

I love hearing the old sausages go on about how wonderful life was in the so-called "golden age" of the mid-20th century. Sure, it might have been awesome if you were a wealthy white man, but for everyone else, it could have been pretty grim.

The idea that beauty standards, trash journalism, fake news, advertising, misogyny, racism, and sexism are more rampant today than back then turns out to be bollocks. While renovating an old boarding house (probably a brothel), I found a stash of risqué magazines and newspapers from the era. Boy howdy, the content made it pretty clear that those rose-tinted boomer memories of the past conveniently forget how average or outright oppressive life would’ve been if you were gay, a different race, or - heaven forbid - a woman.

This work draws on elements from those vintage newspapers and magazines, juxtaposing them to create a sense of intrigue and ambiguity. So, before you start flapping your gums about the “good old days,” maybe take a moment to appreciate that things aren’t so bad now, you know?