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stephen powers (espo)
describe your work Looking at it
feels like you're stealing where does
grafitti end and art begin? When the wine and cheese comes
out what is your favourite record?
My clean criminal record; I lost it. It's OK, it was really worn out
anyway what makes you angry?
Service industry employees that think they're too fucking good to
wait on me. And shitty customers who think they can treat everybody
like shit who's your pop icon?
Madonna. The OG, Mary of Guadalupe - she's got more gold and better
clothes |
lost in the supermarket
A collaboration between the
artists Stephen Powers (ESPO) and Todd Edwards (REAS), Street Market
is a bodega installation featuring wall paintings, signage and
corporate identity It explores the thin lines dividing graffiti, art
and corporate graphic design: leading to the urban myth that one of
them was arrested for tagging their own work at an opening night
launch party. "That was someone else," insists James. "I haven't
done illegal graffiti since the late '80s." So, is it a comment on
pop/consumer culture, or a reflection of it, or both? "This
particular work is both," says James. "Street Market was about
consumerism and advertising from street level to corporate brand
building. Those both eat off the plate of pop culture and create and
feed pop culture. We really didn't set out with a whole theory in
mind. The show has grown into this huge thing with a life of its
own. I think we covered a lot of territory and basically smashed it
and really had a lot of fun." Warming to the theme, Powers adds "I
look at it as another brand being built. Right now I'm just trying
to come up with a jingle. Then I'll work on target demographics. So
to answer your question, yes " Exhibiting together with Barry McGee
(aka TWIST) as part of the Wall Power show in Philadelphia earlier
this year, the artists have been invited by David Thorp to reconvene
for the Liverpool Biennial this time next year. In the meantime,
they're continuing on their individual projects: Edwards is showing
in Australia with Perks, Silas and Chris Johanson, and working on a
new jumbo-sized colouring book called Attitude Dancer 2 with Mo'Wax
to come out before the end of the year. As for Powers, "I'll be
giving tours of all the graff I was indicted for," he tells us. As
the great Pop prophet David Byrne once said: "This was a parking
lot; now it's all covered in daisies."
MARK HOOPER
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUSAN
RELJIN |
