Brandalism is a term that refers to the act of subverting or appropriating advertising or branding materials for artistic or political purposes. The term is a combination of the words “brand” and “vandalism” and is often used to describe acts of street art that critique consumer culture or challenge the power of corporations. Banksy’s first major exhibition “Turf War” staged in a warehouse on Kingsland Road in London’s East End in 2003, featured this term as a central part of the show. Brandalism is a creative form of social and political commentary through creative means. By subverting the language and imagery of advertising, brandalism aims to raise awareness of the ways in which consumer culture shapes our lives and to challenge the power of corporations to control our thoughts and behaviours.

Brandalism can take many forms, including the defacing of billboards or advertisements with graffiti, the creation of fake advertisements that parody or critique corporate messaging, and the re-appropriation of corporate logos or branding materials to create new meanings or messages. It’s an act common within street art as it takes back public space through creative means. Taking back power within a community instead of letting large corporate advertising pollute the visual landscape. This is very common in areas of major cities such as Stokes Croft in Bristol. Which prides itself on its alternative and creative counter culture, being the UK’s longest independent high street. Where high push back of gentrification from the community and a heavy handed approach by police resulted in riots over tescos moving into the area. With the combination of artists, activists there brandlism can be found on most billboards in the area. This has become a key part to maintain the independent culture of the area stopping the community being dictated to by advertisement.

While brandalism is sometimes viewed as a form of vandalism or illegal activity, many artists and activists see it as a legitimate form of artistic expression and political protest. The rise of brandalism has contributed to a growing recognition of the value and importance of street art as a tool for social and political change.

https://www.charliemooney.co.uk/portfolio-collections/my-portfolio/bristol-a-visual-language

Bring the Paint is a street art festival organised by Graff HQ in Leicester. The festival was first launched in 2016 and has since become an annual event which sees international artists take to the streets to paint. I’ve been a part of the festival photographing and interacting with the artist in 2019 and again in 2022

1UP crew is one of the most prolific graffiti crews in Europe painting twice at Bring the Paint. From Berlin is crew is known for their daring efforts to assault with aerosol any wall or train they can get close enough to. This has gained them notoriety in underground graffiti culture. Little is known about the crew or how many members are a part of this due to the illegal nature of their practice.

The festival provides a platform for artists to showcase their work legally and has helped put Leicester on the map within street art. The event takes place over several days and includes talks and exhibitions at Graff Werk.

During the festival, artists are given free rein to paint on walls and buildings throughout the city this creates a vibrant and dynamic outdoor art gallery.

One of the key goals of Bring the Paint is to promote street art as a legitimate form of art and to celebrate the creativity and diversity of the global street art community. Bring the Paint is an important event for the street art community and a great opportunity for artists to showcase their work and connect with other creatives. The festival has helped to promote the importance of street art in contemporary culture and has contributed to the ongoing conversation about the role of art in public spaces.

ACHES is a Dublin-based artist who works on large-scale murals as well as contemporary studio work. Painting graffiti from a young age after getting his degree in Visual Communications, Aches fused his knowledge of Graphic Design and Graffiti. From speaking to him and seeing him paint I can understand his process and how he’s made it achievable for himself to exist in a contemporary artist role while staying true to his origins in graffiti.

Gent 48 prolific graffiti writer to come out of Birmingham. Known for his illustrative graffiti characters and lettering. Highly respected in the UK graffiti scene for his unique style and technique ability. When I first met his he was working on his next commission on his iPad while waiting for a van to move out of the way of his wall, and then proceeded to freestyle some character doodles while I photographed and illustrated the importance of can control when painting.

Inkie is a Bristol-born artist and one of the first wave of graffiti writers to paint in the UK. Began working as part of Crime Incorporated Crew in 1983. He was one of the many artists arrested in 1989 during “Operation Anderson”, the UK’s largest-ever graffiti bust. He arranged 1998’s Walls on Fire event with Banksy. One of the first legal graffiti jams in the UK. He has exhibited globally and is a pioneer in the street art scene. Known for his ‘Ink Nouveau’ style blending the traditional art nouveau with graffiti lettering and characters to create his contemporary works at large scales.

Bring the Paint is an important part of the Uk street art scene helping to legitimise street art and graffiti as key contemporary art forms. By working with artists to commission large-scale artworks instead of criminalisation of their works. This festival helps grow the community and networks of practising street artists furthering their careers as artists and helping them gain a larger audience for their works. It also shows the next generation of artists these are legitimate art forms to practice and develop a career within.

https://www.charliemooney.co.uk/portfolio-collections/my-portfolio/bring-the-paint-2019

https://www.charliemooney.co.uk/portfolio-collections/my-portfolio/bring-the-paint-2022

Hot Bed Press is a printmaking studio located in Salford, Greater Manchester, UK. I first discovered them after meeting them at the Manchester Art fair. The studio was established in 1995 and has since become one of the leading printmaking facilities in the UK. Hot Bed Press offers a wide range of printmaking techniques, including screen printing, etching, relief printing, lithography, and letterpress.

One of the most popular printmaking techniques offered by Hot Bed Press is screen printing. Screen printing is a method of printing that involves pushing ink through a fine mesh screen onto paper or fabric. The process can be used to create a wide range of artwork, from posters and t-shirts to fine art prints.

At Hot Bed Press, screen printing is done by hand, using a traditional screen printing press. The process involves creating a stencil or “screen” of the image to be printed, which is then placed onto the printing press. Ink is then applied to the screen, which is pushed through the mesh onto the paper or fabric below.

Overall, Hot Bed Press is an important facility for printmakers in the UK. Its wide range of techniques and workshops provide artists with the opportunity to explore and experiment with different printmaking methods, while its commitment to traditional techniques and handmade processes ensures that the art of printmaking continues to thrive.

This is somewhere I will be accessing after my studies to insure I can continue with the print-making practices I have started over my time on the course

Barbara Kruger is an American artist who is best known for her work in graphic design and photography. Her artwork often includes provocative slogans that challenge gender norms, consumer culture, and political ideologies. Her eye-catching graphic style would influence many artists but predominantly Shepard Fairey with the ‘obey’ brand.

Kruger was born in New Jersey in 1945, later studying at Syracuse University in the late 1960s before moving to New York City. Where she worked as a graphic designer for magazines such as Mademoiselle and House and Garden.

By the 1970s, Kruger began creating her own artwork using photographs and typography. Her works often feature black-and-white photographs overlaid with bold, red text in a simplistic but bold text font. The text is often provocative and confrontational, challenging viewers to question their own assumptions and beliefs. Using art as a powerful tool for social change and speaking out against injustice. Her understanding of advertisement can be seen within her visual language throughout her artwork. The simplicity of the visuals created, used to address much more complex topics in my opinion creates the strength of the artwork. This is also why Kruger’s work is so recognisable and easily consumed visually. Making the artwork accessible and appreciated by a mass audience without feeling lost with the message of the work.

Kruger’s work gained attention in the 1980s as part of the feminist art movement and the larger cultural shift towards postmodernism. Her pieces were displayed in galleries and museums across the United States and Europe. Including Tate Liverpool where I was able to appreciate the presents her work conducts when physically presented in front of you.

Kruger has continued to produce artwork over the years building a large catalogue of work with themes that include consumerism, power structures, and identity. Her work has been exhibited in major museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, as well as across the UK in Tate galleries.

Kruger’s bold designs and provocative slogans have made her one of the most influential artists of the past few decades, inspiring a new generation of graphic designers and artists such as myself to challenge social norms. The way I’ve been influenced by Kruger is by creating screenprints addressing the culture of graffiti seen by some conservatives and councils alike as vandalism and putting this ideology and obscured identity in a contemporary context with a satirical approach. This is through the use of the word vandalism to be provocative, questioning the native of graffiti art being vandalism. This is one of the battlegrounds faced. Linear to the battleground of the legality of the art created and the battle for graffiti to give the recognition of a visual art movement by the contemporary art world. Using the obscured female figure to address this male-dominated space. Related to how Kruger addressed the feminine form to be a battleground in her original artwork.

Shepard Fairey is an American street artist, graphic designer, and illustrator. He rose to notoriety for his now iconic “Obey Giant” street art in the late 80’s early 90’s. Breaking into the mainstream when he designed for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

In the late 1980s while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design. He initially gained recognition for his “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” which featured the image of the wrestler taken from a magazine originally mean just to create something cool between friends. Influenced by Barbara Kruger, understanding how her work was eye-catching and could make art a powerful tool to address social issues. Combined with the social commentary from the film ‘They Live’. This evolved into the “Obey Giant” which featured an updated stylized image of Andre the Giant’s face with the word “Obey” underneath. ‘They live’. The repetition of Sherpards posters comments on the idea of propaganda and social conditioning through societal norms such as advertisement.

Fairey’s street art and poster designs often incorporate political and social commentary. His work consists of bold graphics with vivid colours becoming a distinctive style that is widely recognizable. His first solo show was at Stolen Space Gallery London in 2007 and continues to exhibit in London as a part of Beyond the Street at Saatchi Gallery.

Shepard Fairey’s coming from street art has managed to create a significant impact on contemporary art and design. Influencing artists and activists through his strongly politically charged artwork. He is one of the biggest artists to find commercial success from creating art in the streets. To this day he continues to work on large-scale murals, still holding the integrity of his original Obey paste-up poster.

 

Manchester Art Fair is an annual event that showcases contemporary art from galleries and artists across the UK and internationally. The fair provides a platform for both established and emerging artists to showcase their work and connect with collectors and art enthusiasts. In addition to the main fair, there are a variety of events and exhibitions that take place throughout the week, including talks, workshops, and special exhibitions. This event provides the opportunity to learn more about the artists and their work, as well as engage with the broader art community.

Manchester Art Fair gave a great insight into opportunities further than the course and offered a perspective to me of galleries who are in the business of representing artists and selling their work and also showing how independent artists are out there networking creating contacts, gaining clients growing their names as an artist and ultimately funding their creative practice. 

it was good for me to see a range of artists all coming together under one roof. it really helps me see how the name of the notoriety of the artist really explodes the price of the artwork, where prints of a large addition, can sell for such a high number from the likes of Picasso and Salvador Dali. 

What are really found interesting where is the amount of street artists I recognised who had worked being sold by commercial galleries. Also, galleries, solely operate to sell, works from street artists. One of these galleries I came across was Smolensky Gallery founded in 2020 and based in Manchester. After talking with Joe Wilson, the director I found that if I tailored my work, it would definitely fit in within these gallery spaces and be commercially viable.