All posts tagged: Mitt Romney

Batbamacare, Bane Capitalist – Street Artist Election Parody on Web by General Howe

October 16, 2012

Holy Healthcare, Batbama!

Conceptual Street Artist General Howe will be sticking a pointy eared mask onto Obama’s photo after the presidential debate tonight – as he writes his next report for the Super Election News website.

A screengrab from the art parody blog by conceptual street artist General Howe called “Super Election News 2012”

One part HuffPost Politics, one part The Onion, and one part Halloween super hero role-playing – The site is the onscreen version of parodies General Howe started in his street work a few years ago. By subverting the election “news” that’s continually blared from the polycephalic cluster of political blogs and trustworthy news websites, Howe equates the candidates staged personas as spun by PR machines with the simplified good and evil story that is told in the Batman sagas.

Obama as Batman, Romney as Bane, Gingrich as Penguin, Sheldon Adelson as the Joker… “Presidential elections and summer blockbuster movies have become the same thing,” explains General Howe, “There is an epic battle of good vs. evil and the fate of the world is up for grabs.  If we pay a little extra for the larger soda, the experience will be that much better.”

 

General Howe. The Supers. Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

With regular postings on his online art/politics website, the General has been mulling over the implications of simplification of complex issues, the corrupting influence of blind money donations, the surreal spinning of real news, as well as parodying the more obvious manipulations he sees in his daily review of what has essentially has become a hyper-charged money-fueled media industry that commoditizes candidates for profit and ignores/deludes the citizenry.

What may frighten you more are the similarities between fact and fiction.

General Howe. The Supers. Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

General Howe’s new series of characters are called “The Supers” and he has made a print comic book for the 2012 election, as well as installed some parody election signage in the perfectly mowed autumn lawns of sterile suburbia, where the effect of seeing a pro-Bane or pro-Batman and Robin sign is startlingly normal appearing in all their patriotic colors and crisp graphics. Antecedents to this campaign can be found in General Howe’s reworking of actual advertising signage during the 2008 campaign where John McCain was 2Face, Hilary Clinton had the bloody clown lips of the Joker, and Obama was again depicted as Batman.

General Howe. An infographic that merges olde with new on The Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

While his art on the streets has always had a political element that is informed by American culture and history, General Howe has been having a blast with this new online art project, “This work has strong roots in street art but is completely digitally based.  I’ve been thinking a lot about making accessible work and communicating a message to the masses and as much as street art does that and I think there is unexplored territory in how much of peoples lives exist in the digital world.  It would be a great evolution to see digital content and websites subverted the same way our physical environment is being subverted by street art. I don’t have the skills or knowledge of a hacker so this is my attempt at transforming the digital experience.”

General Howe. The Supers. Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

General Howe. The Supers. Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

General Howe. The Supers. Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

General Howe. The Supers. Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

General Howe. The Supers. Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

General Howe. The Supers. Super Election News 2012 (photo © General Howe)

From 2008 by Street Artist General Howe, these advertising panel interventions featured Obama as Batman and John McCain as 2Face.  (photos © General Howe)

From the 2008 campaign by Street Artist General Howe, Hilary Clinton was merged with The Joker for this wheatpaste and this fine art panel displayed at the BSA “Street Crush” show.  (photos © General Howe and © Jaime Rojo)

 

Updated for 2012, these new pieces from “The Supers” were on display at the Crest Hardware Art Show this June by General Howe. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Updated for 2012, these new pieces from “The Supers” were on display at the Crest Hardware Art Show this June by General Howe. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For more day-to-day update on The Super Election News from General Howe go to:

http://superelectionnews.wordpress.com/

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UPDATE: SABER Tags Sky Over New York to Defend Arts and Bash Romney

September 23, 2012

UPDATE: BSA exclusive new footage courtesy of video artist Chris Jordan plus new images from Jaime Leo, Eszter Klajman and Chris Jordan.

New York’s skies got majorly tagged today. And Mitt Romney got called out in front of 8 million people as a #GOPFail

New Yorkers who looked up from stoop sales, soccer games, and strolls across the Brooklyn Bridge saw graffiti artist and fine artist Saber flying five planes in formation across sunny Sunday skies with messages castigating the presidential candidate for his plans to kill funding for cornerstone arts programs like the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Public Radio (NPR), the Public Broadcasting System (PBS).


“#DefendtheArts” was sky written by artist Saber over lower Manhattan at 2 pm today. NYC 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

As the planes spelled out #DefendTheArts over Manhattan, Saber explained to BSA in a phone interview, “Basically I’m calling out Mitt and any other politicians who are cutting arts funding because they are actually cutting jobs that are an engine to our economy. Not to mention the effect these programs have on creativity and inspiration.” One dot-matrix style message said “Protect NPR PBS NEA from cuts” while another offered the Twitter hashtag simply entitled “#MittRomneyHatesArt”.

“Protect” – which was followed by words like “actors, writers, poets, designers..” The ARTS. NYC 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

As one of a handful of high profile graffiti/street artists in the US who have taken the national stage with their social and political commentary, Saber has “gone big” before, but never on this scale and never over New York City in an hour and a half display that he estimated could be seen over a 20 mile radius. “NYC is the art center of the world,” Saber says, “It is quite a good feeling to be able to spread this public message.”

BSA Exclusive Raw footage by Video Artist Chris Jordan shows artist Saber spraying the sky over Manhattan (VIDEO)

The extremely wealthy Republican candidate Romney told Fortune last month that in addition to scrapping the new national health program that is offering medical care to millions, he intends to cut funding to major arts programs if he is elected, saying of the arts programs, “I very much appreciate and like what they do in many cases, but I just think they have to stand on their own.”

Rather than relying simply on the generosity of patronage, Saber thinks that the government and society at large benefit from investing in artists in an increasingly “creative economy” – many of whom he called out in the sky today, including artists, writers, poets, designers, actors.

Saber. Protect The ARTS. NYC 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Taking his campaign to social media with the #DefendTheArts hashtag this time, Saber very visibly entered the national fray during the healthcare reform debate of 2009, saying that the existing for-profit system cut out people like himself, uninsurable because of his epilepsy.  Today grassroots activism that emanated from downtown NYC has expanded the conversation and he acknowledges those voices who have focused attention on Romney and the so-called 1%. “We’re making sure to fly directly over Zucotti Park with a big ‘Occupy Wall Street’ message, because that’s what New York is too.”

Amid the political messages skywritten by Saber are shout outs to friends and graffiti artists who have passed; a nod to the roll-call community memorial walls that graffiti and street artists have done in cities for decades. This new way of “getting up” also has Saber waxing poetic as he sees the effect his fresh tags have at 34,000 feet as they melt into the blue canvas over most of NYC. “It’s almost like I’m painting in the sky – it has a really beautiful effect when a fresh one lays over the one that is fading away.”

As the planes made long oval trips over Manhattan, the East River, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and back, the normally tough stuff graff guy couldn’t really mask his enthusiasm, “I’m really excited about it!”

Telling you to Tweet “@Saber” from his #defendthearts campaign over NYC 2012 (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

“Actors Poets”, Saber in the sky over NYC 2012 NYC 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Poets Patrons”, Saber in the sky over NYC 2012 NYC 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Poets”, Saber in the sky over NYC 2012 NYC 2012 (photo © Jamie Leo)

“Artists”, Saber in the sky over NYC 2012 NYC 2012 (photo © Eszter Klajman)

“#OccupyWallStreet”, Saber in the sky directly over Wall Street and Zucotti Park. 2012 NYC 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“#OccupyWallStreet”, Saber in the sky directly over Wall Street and Zucotti Park. 2012 NYC 2012 (photo © Chris Jordan)

“Artists Designers”, Saber in the sky over NYC 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Protect NPR PBS NEA” (upside down from here), Saber in the sky over NYC 2012 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Protect NPR No Cuts” , Saber in the sky over NYC 2012 (photo © Eszter Klajman)

Saber included shout outs to #graffiti, #streetart, and some graffiti artists and crews- here is one photo made from two cell phone photos (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

While he was 34,000 feet up over NYC, Saber had to do a few shout-outs to friends back home in LA; AWR and MSK, and even a misspelling of artist RETNA’s name. Other tributes included New York street artist Keith Haring (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

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Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!

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Images of the Week 05.13.12

May 13, 2012

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers and our best wishes to you all on this special day.

Cool stuff on the street right now, and not what you’re always expecting. Here’s our weekly interview with the Street this week including Andrzej Urbanski, Armo, Army of One, Cake, El, Hot Tea, Indigo, Klub7, LNY, Miyok, Olek, Skullphone, Tazz, Vote Honky, and Yoko Ono.

Cake (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Cake (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A stencil of Yoko Ono by an unknown artist. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The kids from the German collective Klub7 are in NYC to work on their show at Pandemic this Friday. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Klub7 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Tazz (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Vote Honky roasts Republican bazillionaire Mittens Romney over the story about how he strapped his dog “Seamus” to the roof of his car for a long 12-hour drive even as the dog was nervous/sick and crapping itself. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Skullphone (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Olek (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Which way did he go? Miyok (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jason Woodside. In this new graphic abstraction street art fans may see a bit of MOMO, Maya Hayuk, Hellbent, and even Revok all playing along. Of course Woodside is taking it in his own direction. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Indigo x Andrzej Urbanski, Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa. (photo © Indigo)

Hot Tea. Knitta Please and Aakash Nihilani had a baby and Hot Tea was born. Like those roofing guys say, it’s fantastic. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

El gives the good old Bushwick shack a Spring make over as Bushwick spruces up for Open Studios in a few weeks. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Artist Unknown (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Army Of One (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Armo “Love Pistol” in Los Angeles (photo © Armo)

We are not sure if this artist is Victor of the Sea. Do you know? (photo © Jaime Rojo)

This week butterflies all seemed to arrive in New York at once – like they all took the same bus or something – to hang out in the flower beds in people’s yards. Untitled (photo © Jaime Rojo)

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