The last two months have flown by since that fateful night. “Will he?, won’t he?” we all asked, and finally, on 4th November 2008 he did. Obama was without a doubt, the big hype of 2008. The running of a black man for presidency and the excitement that the wave of change was coming, these elections symbolised many things, not least that Bush would no longer be in power.
Perhaps most importantly for the millions of Americans who voted for Obama in the elections are the key virtues that Obama represents; hope, optimism and security for the future, feelings that McCain just couldn’t stir up in the general public.
Artists around the globe have supported Obama's bid, inspired by his rigour, views and down to earth nature. Support from a variety of celebrities has come through in recent months, specifically in the media and through photos and works of art.
The Cuban artist, Jorge Rodriguez Gerada, creator of a very impressive piece of artwork, showed his support for Obama through creativity. In fact, it was so grandiose that it covered the forum beach in Barcelona close to many apartments in barcelona, and was a enormous depiction of the new President’s head (139×82), created by a small army of volunteers and contributors, made from plaster and sand in different colours and depicting the contours of the best known face of 2008.
The optimizism that Obama has inspired during the election campaign is reflected in the title of the art, appropriately named "Expectations". Bad desicions and bad politics in the US in recent years could mean only one thing: a need for change and Obama answered this call, this is why this art was created before Obama won. The impression these elections have left on the viewing public and the scale of the media surrounding Obama is shown in the art. Not only this, but the artist chose this particular location for the artwork, (which was picked up by Google Earth satellites) because of the multifaceted nature of Barcelona, a multicultural capital that is full to the brim of Europeans, North Africans and North, South and Central Americans, who fill many apartments barcelona.
It is certain that there will be more art contributions to the first black president of America in years to come, he has been an inspiration and will continue to be an inspiration to so many artists throughout his presidency.
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