Keiff Jones' parody "Dixie Line" ("Borderline" performed by Madonna) references art, history, and popular culture to expound on the adverse reality of being black and gay in the American South. By citing Jim Crow memorabilia, the crucifixion of Jesus, painters Francis Bacon and Romare Bearden, and Monica Lewinsky's blue dress--Keiff illustrates his identity as a red state renegade and history of the consequences he could face.
Exhibitions:
2017 M4: Second Severn Crossing, Hathaway Contemporary Gallery. Atlanta, GA
2017 Kahlon: The Cut Up Series Part II, Proximity to Dead Skin, EMP Collective, Baltimore, MD
The illustrations for this music video were created using pencil, paint, collage, and ink on paper.
To reflect the lyrics "I'm definitely gonna lose my life" below the Dixie Line, Jones based his imagery on artifacts from the Jim Crow era, a period in American History where an aggressive anti-black attitude was supported by the presence of racism in everyday objects like post cards, license plates, and figurines.
Lynching postcard
Romare Bearden, Memories of High Cotton, 1977, Collage with ink, 11 ¾ x 13 ¼ inches
Francis Bacon, Triptych 1983, 1984, Lithograph, 35 × 24 1/2 in
This section of the video references two music videos from the 1980s ("Sharkey's Day" by Laurie Anderson" and "Automatic" by the Pointer Sisters) as a nod to the retro aesthetic of "Dixie Line's" original arrangement. Jones uses the simple shapes in Anderson's video and multiplies his image with costuming and video to create a band of background singers, like in the Pointer Sisters' video.
Jones references in this scene include "She Wolf" by Shakira, sextape leaks, and the popular affair between Monica Lewinksy and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. This is a nod to the jezebel stereotype. At this point in the song, having sex with the Presidential character is the only way Jones will make it out of the video alive.
Jones uses the fun imagination of conspiracy theories to depict a crucifixion scene. The cross in intentionally inverted in front of a pyramid and grids of black and white, all nods to the "illuminati" conspiracy that permeates popular culture.
