Still studying the theme of Bootleg art and design, I found some artists that I thought were very relevant for the development of my research. After spending some time reading about established pop artists that were vital to drive the discussion of the relations between art and mass media forward, such as Warhol (celebrity, commodity products, mass production) and Lichtenstein (appropriation, decontextualization, elevation of “low” art) I went on to look at contemporary examples.
Eric Doeringer is an American artist that sets up pop up “bootleg art” shops outside of galleries selling his own reproductions of renowned artists’ pieces, cheekily marketing them for being cheaper than the originals:
Madsaki is a Japanese painter who works under Takashi Murakami for Kaikai Kiki Gallery, he uses spray paint to trace over famous artworks and television characters, substituting their faces for smileys. He tries to get his paintings to look very “ghetto” in his own words, his lines are sloppy and the paint drips all over the canvas, his process is very simplistic. Still, his pieces have a very distinctive and recognizable look and he exposes and sells internationally, his work is more about the narrative behind the process and the juxtaposition than the technique and preciosity, which I find very inspiring:
Researching Madsaki got me thinking about my digital drawings and illustrations, which I like to infuse with a similar deliberately sloppy style, so I went on to look up other artists for inspiration with a focus on how their work engages with digital art.
Julian Opie is a British contemporary pop artist who makes paintings, sculptures and installations, and was a very prominent figure in the New British Sculpture movement. His work has a very digital appearance, he uses solid, bold colors and thick uniform outlines, often drawing inspiration for passerby on the streets, and installing his works in a range of interesting ways that I think really explore the possible applications of digital art.
Caio's Graduate Diploma 