Father of the Funk Art movement, Robert Arneson, mastered the art of appropriating everyday items into objects of sardonic humor. In ‘Brick Bang’ from 1976, he incorporates his self-portrait with the famous Arneston brick to encase another one of his controversial, absurdist statements.

The Stanley Museum of Art hosts this piece as an installment in the ceramics collection, thanks to late collector and curator Joan E. Mannheimer.

The Daily Iowan takes a look at Arneson’s work and responds to the art in poetic form.

Ceramic Cynics, & Where do they come from?

There’s a giggle dancing on your lips! Draw it out, let it linger a little longer, who’s listening? Who’s listening! Who’s listening to us anymore, our senile whispers, our tangy breath, the secrets crawling under our hair, clicking and ticking as they dig deeper into our scalp.

It’s all so so so so so easy. It’s really, really so easy to slap a small smirk on it. Yes, this is fine. Do you care? Who cares? Who cares! Who cares about our fickle minds, we’ll all be away anyway, and then who will wonder? Is anyone wondering? Is there even any use in wondering about these things?

Save your breath– we’re here for a little longer, but let it all draw out, let it take the form of something you’ve seen before. Let it shape itself into everything here, everything is here, it is all here! And isn’t it all so familiar? It’s all so familiar! It has all run down the little streams of our minds and suddenly, suddenly you’re reminded of all the things, all the familiar things, and there’s that tingling, that giggle– that giggle! Dancing on your lips! And something else has danced, too, just like this, yes, just like that!

But it’s so sad, really, truly so sad. Because there’s a part of you, of your mind, that wants it all back. But is anyone even wondering, is there any use wondering and wanting things of the past? It’s all gone now, and then it’ll be gone again. Put it all to shame, why don’t you, put it all into silence.

Grab a little something and shove it in there, fix those memories, let that giggle, oh that giggle! linger a little while longer. This is all there is to do.

It will all plaster away, anyway. So let me give you into something permanent and still this laughter for a little longer. Before that escapes us, too.

But this is not something to grieve. There is nothing to grieve. There is, here, and then hereafter, nothing reasonable. And that brings you so much joy, once you take that part of you away.

Let me, friend, take it all away from you. Then that laughter can linger a little longer.