In the face of right and wrong by the breed of weak or strong, humanity has placed far too much emphasis on belongings, not belonging. There was a time when ethical behavior had a fixity of purpose: the prevention of corruption, favoritism, undue influence and abuse of entrusted power. Yet it is those who commit these transgressions that prosper most, by completely dispensing with the need for ethics. What exists is a philosophy where the only guiding principle is to ensure the greatest profits.
MAINTENANT 19: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art is a testament to the unflinching exposure of self-righteousness. We are no longer bred to be rational creatures. Denial is key. Freedom from blame is the promise. But if blame we must, then here we must first blame the face in the mirror that accepts this way of life. These times of Ethics Cleansing enable some to think they are better than others, but if someone must be better, then let it be ourselves.
The MAINTENANT series, established in 2008, explores themes of politics, humanity, philosophy, and current concerns from an antiwar, anarchic, and often eye-opening perspective. Past issues include work by such artists as Raymond Pettibon, Fred Tomaselli, Nicole Eisenmann, Mark Kostabi, Edel Rodriguez, Tchello D'Barros, Pawel Kuczynski, and more; past writers have included Gerard Malanga, Charles Plymell, Andrei Codrescu, Harry E. Northup, Malik Crumpler, Maw Shein Win, and more, with a strong contingent of artists and writers from the world of punk rock, including Thurston Moore, Mike Watt, Bibbe Hansen, Exene Cervenka, and many others. The complete list of contributors to Maintenant 19:
Hamza Abu Ayyash, Derek Adams, Mariam Ahmed, Jamika Ajalon, Youssef Alaoui, Linda J. Albertano, Austin Alexis, Joel Allegretti, Maureen Alsop, Santiago Amaya, Lisa Andreini, Avelino Araúuacute;jo, Penny Arcade, Louis Armand, Wayne Atherton, Liz Axelrod, Mahnaz Badihian, Amy Barone, Vittore Baroni, Hannah Behrens, Regina Lafay Bellamy, Martine Bellen, C. Mehrl Bennett, Volodymyr Bilyk, Mark Blickley, Jeff Boynton, Gedley Belchior Braga, Bob Branaman, Michael Georg Bregel, Kathy Bruce, Anaïs Bucher, Imanol Buisan, Fork Burke, Mike Callaghan, Mary Campbell, Billy Cancel, Peter Carlaftes, Mona Jean Cedar, Mario Joséeacute; Cervantes, Mutes César, Isra Cheema, Rachel Chitofu, Lynette Clennell, Andrei Codrescu, Terese Coe, Adrienne Connelly, Chuck Connelly, Roger Conover, Molly Crabapple, Malik Crumpler, Tchel