Brandalism
"Brandalism is a revolt against the corporate control of our culture and space.
We are an international collective of artists and activists that confront the power of big business and their public relations advertisement." - Brandalism Manifesto, published on their website.
Brandalism is the biggest anti-advertising campaign in world history, consisting of 25 street artists from 8 different countries. It is a form of creative activism that uses subversion to alter and criticise corporate advertising by creating parodies. The 'Cultural Jamming' method rails against corporations with anti-capitalist, anti-consumerist and environmental concerns outlooked by society.
In the short film (2014) below, you can watch Brandalism artists explaining the concept of the movement and you can also observe a bit of the creative process.
The method of operation of the group is through the appropriation of corporate advertisements and installing satirical adaptations of these advertisements in public spaces.
Some Brandalism artists hand draw or paint over these advertisements while others utilise software applications such as Adobe Photoshop to create their artwork. After that, they print their creations using large-format digital printers or screen printers. The standard size of the campaign artwork is 120 by 180 cm (47 by 71 in), as this is the average display size of bus stop advertising spaces.
Below some are examples of Brandalism art found in public spaces.
The artists usually work individually or in small groups, connecting with one another through social media such as Instagram and Facebook.
And surely, it is a form of breaking the law and 'vandalism'. But what the artists argue is that they are fighting with the only power they have - a symbolic one. They say it is a question of power struggle and the situation of their cultural and existential space is at stake so if that makes people call them a vandal, let it be, they will not stop fighting regardless.
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