My Family

My Family

Philip Ringler
2024/2025

In My Family, I use inflatable machine guns to create conceptual photographs that serve as a critical response to the devastating reality of mass shootings, gun laws, and the pervasive culture of gun violence in Florida and the United States. Through this work, I engage with the visual and ideological language surrounding firearms, transforming objects of destruction into soft, artificial, and almost childlike replicas.

By employing humor and parody as artistic tools, I aim to underscore both the tragedy and absurdity of American gun discourse. The inflatable weapons become symbolic contradictions—at once threatening and benign, deadly and harmless—highlighting the ways in which gun culture is both normalized and fetishized in everyday life. This juxtaposition challenges viewers to reconsider their perceptions of firearms and the narratives surrounding them.

A central theme in my work is the exploration of simulacra, signs, and signifiers—constructing photographic "realities" that question the boundaries between representation and meaning. The use of inflatables reinforces this investigation, as they are imitations of lethal weapons yet entirely incapable of harm, mirroring the often theatrical and performative nature of gun culture itself.

The series title, My Family, draws direct inspiration from the antagonistic bumper stickers frequently seen on cars and trucks in Florida. These stickers feature an assortment of cartoon firearms—arranged as a symbolic “family unit”—with the phrase “My Family” printed beneath them. By reinterpreting this imagery within the context of my work, I confront the unsettling ways in which violence and familial identity are conflated in certain cultural narratives, turning a symbol of aggression into a critique of its own existence.

Through My Family, I invite viewers to engage in a dialogue about the intersections of fear, power, and representation, using the visual language of satire to challenge deeply ingrained beliefs about guns and their place in American society.