You might think you’ve seen pretty much every variety of Bernie Sanders-themed artwork over the last few months, but you’d be wrong — because, if there is a (secular) god, these Bernie Sanders album covers will break the internet. They’re the creation of Boston based performance artist and poet Alaina Stamatis, who co-owns the Deep Thoughts record stores in Boston with her boyfriend. As she explains to Flavorwire, “Record stores are cool, fun places, and initially my objective [with these pieces] was to link that recreational enjoyment with political involvement. I see people align themselves deeply with music. By editing Bernie’s face onto a classical minimalist composer’s record and a heady electronic 12″ and a contemporary indie darling’s new release and a reissue of beloved soul album, we are saying that whatever you love, Bernie is there for you.”
Stamatis has been involved in the Sanders campaign for several months, and started phone-banking during the Nevada primary: “Weekdays can be slow around the store so they lend themselves to the sort of heavy-breathing, what-are-you-wearing that comes with cold-calling strangers. It’s super-addicting, like gambling! The highs of getting a supporter on the line are insane, while the lows of being told-off or hung-up-on are not terrible.” She suggests that Sanders is so popular with people in their 20s and 30s — Stamatis herself is 30 — because “[he] is running on a platform that the political process can and should be permeable to new ideas and the needs of the people, [and] that above all, social programs and laws related to civil liberties and foreign policy decisions must be pursued for the benefit of humanity…. [Younger people] are extremely wary of establishment politics, but at [their] core they have a ton of hope. They are more readily optimistic, but I’ve encountered a ton of older Americans who openly bern, especially in New England.”
Click through to check out more Bernie album covers (and if you’re in NYC, don’t forget to vote, whether for Bernie or otherwise!)
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis
Credit: Alaina Stamatis