Agape Charmani for Art-Sheep
This year’s preparations for the 87th Academy Awards ceremony were interrupted by a large-scale Oscar statue, who appeared a few days before the Oscars on Hollywood Boulevard. The statue was on its knees, snorting cocaine with a rolled-up bill, while the phrase “Hollywood’s Best Party” was inscribed on the side of the plinth. Hollywood’s Best Party was an installation by Plastic Jesus, an artist known for his provocative and controversial work. The bent-over Oscar figure is not the only work of the artist that has shocked the media and the show business industry.
For years now, Plastic Jesus has been producing and installing his work in the streets of Los Angeles. Mainly working in bold stencil and specializing in installations, he picks his topics from the news, while he is influenced by the social, political and cultural state of the world. Plastic Jesus has been described as the “LA Banksy”, but his work could never be compared to a Banksy. Not because of their uneven work qualities, but because of the totally different way these artists work in and the different power that activates their passion to create. Even though the Plastic Jesus tries to satirize targeted people and situations, his work seems like a “misprint” of the rebellious artist’s work, that -among others- has criticized pop culture and its effects on society, long before.
Unfortunately, Plastic Jesus’ obsession with coke, credit cards and capitalism seem like a bad cliche in times where people are too stricken to care about show business. On the other hand, his more political work -like the image of the arrow-like bomb below, is consisted of things that have been said, showed and discussed many times in the past.
To be completely fair Plastic Jesus is not -will never and should never be, “the Banksy of LA”. He is though a talented and upcoming artist who by cautiously focusing on his work, can actually say things people will hear.
A great example of his artistic potential is shown in his latest work. The artist bolted several signs around Hollywood that read “No Kardashian Parking Any Time.” The signs were mainly installed outside of Dash, Kardashians’ clothing boutique, creating confusion to any passerby as to whether the famous sisters were really not allowed to park there. As the artist told The Hollywood Reporter, “‘Stop Making Stupid People Famous’ often gets blogged as a criticism of the Kardashians. But that piece is also meant to criticize us as consumers. Without us, there would be no market for the Kardashians. We are equally, if not more so, to blame.”
Past works
No Kardashian Parking Anytime, art installation in Hollywood by Plastic Jesus
