The art of Generation X | RNZ

They’ve been dubbed ‘the MTV generation’ and the ‘Forgotten generation’ (though now they’re in power: ‘forgotten no more’ we say). They are Generation X: those born between 1965 and 1980.

Generation X is a City Gallery Wellington exhibition at Te Papa. The exhibition features 50 artworks from one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most significant contemporary art collections, the Chartwell Collection. Started in 1974, the Chartwell is also Gen X, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Video: Samuel Rillstone

[toldyouso]

HOW AND WHY OUR GEN X BECAME -
In the 70's the boomers were young adults getting their first taste of politics and management and they got drunk on the power and pleasure. The did not work for it but got it handed to them by dad in the company or the campaign party.

In fact the boomers epically lost Vietnam and lost production to the Japanese factories and left X generation growing up poor. That hippy generation inherited a number one US economy in the late 60's but sent the car industry into the toilet within a decade. They inherited IBM and HP but had no idea how to run it letting tech stagnate. They got humiliated by the Saudi oil embargo and Iran hostage crisis.

Those had nothing to do with the Xers because by the early 80's our first batches were just kids in their teens or barely in their twenties taking over the workforce. Yet our kind, newly emerged, had instant influence on the world, minds of my generation built the tech empire with the first personal computers and the internet. Created a whole new digital economy alternative to what the boomers monopolized in the analog. Our MTV created a new counter revolution, a rejection of the hippy Disco club scene that spawned social curses of herpes, aids and the cocaine epidemic. Most of my generation had no money for a Saturday clubbing dressed up as a pimp snorting coke with the lady boomers.

My X generations music, dance and visual arts was of the streets. Breakdancing on the corner to a rap beat box by a wall of Graffiti art. Our icon heroes were Punk, New Wave, Reggae, Retro Rock-a-Billy, we had an explosion of great talent that became a business model/formula in the music and movie industry. The 80's entertainment industry was the only one in the economy that was resurrected to be unbeatable.

Ours was the last generation to mostly believe in God and love for country, laws based on the 10 Commandments and to pray openly in schools or the stadium. God blessed my generation with clean drug free fun. Pro-wrestling gave us our adrenalin rush and we invented more ways - BMX biking, roller blading, sail surfing, pool skating, bungee jumping, paint ball wargames and we exercised our minds and reflexes on the Rubix cubes and the computer video arcade games.

We were like a generation of Universal soldiers, who volunteered service and won it's wars or negotiated peace from strength. We are rebels for the CAUSE, like our martyr whistleblower Edward Snowden, we know exactly about the system being rigged and corrupt. That's why the longest power controlling generation are afraid to pass the torch to us, because we will remove the cancer in society. But we are patient and we are born ready.

[hinduismwithpremananddasbhagat]

Given the art of Gen X includes later day flower power, the 70's, punk and protest, and yet looking at this kinda feels like Gen X has nothing to say. This is a sad representation.

[theunknownunknowns]

In order to represent a whole generation maybe consult with more than just artists. Also lets stay forgotten because own decisions weren't much better if at all than the boomers.

[brandonleroux]

Not sure why it matters at all. We shed the past like snake skin and move on. Looking back turns one into a pillar of salt. The world only cares about those it can sell to.