I just heard or read (who can even remember) that Elon Musk is all of a sudden the richest man in the world, but that will probably change by the time this posts. Because that is what happens. I spotted this paste-up of the Tesla creator / general psycho as Fictional Action Figure Buzz Lightyear on a boarded-up menswear store as I walked up Broadway toward the Flatiron Building. The quote, “Dream Until It’s Your Reality” is a new tag that I see all over the city now. Life is strange.
Update! See how this image changed just few days after the post went live, after the jump!
OK, so what exactly are we looking at here? What initially appears as a fairly standard-issue Virgin Mary desktop statue is revealed, on closer inspection, to be a mash up of the holy mother and a Malibu Barbie (check out the sunglasses propped casually on her head, for your first clue).
The statue, by UK-based artist Heath Kane, is based on a print entitled In Brands We Trust, originally created in June of 2016 in association with Jealous Gallery of London. The idea for the print was to create a mock idol by galvanizing a Malibu Barbie figure with the Virgin Mary.
Says Kane: In Brands We Trust is designed to look on the surface like a classic piece of pop art – juxtaposing Barbie’s face with an image of the Virgin Mary. But the light facade masks a deeper question about consumerism. Whereas Pop Art fetishized consumerism, In Brands We Trust challenges it. In March 2016 two people were shot and seriously injured in America when Nike released a new version of its Air Jordan 2 Retro shoes. In Brands We Trust ponders the question ‘have brands become our new religion?’ And if so are they encouraging division and extremism? Brands have such a profound impact on our daily lives it’s raises the question if religious faith can compete.
This wheat paste mash up of our Lady Liberty and the Buddha was spotted by me on West 38th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues in NYC! Artist unknown!
The Catbus is a character in the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is a large creature, depicted as a grinning, twelve legged cat with a hollow body that serves as a bus, complete with windows and seats coated with fur, and a large, bushy tail. The character’s popularity has led to its use in a spinoff film, toys for children, and an art car, among other products and influences. With its large elongated smile and its ability to appear and disappear at will, the Catbus is reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, hence this awesome mash-up! All T-Shirts and Hoodies with this design are on sale for 20% off regular prices though January 29th, so get yours right now at This Link!
Beavis is Jake the Dog and Butthead is Finn the Human in this hilarious Beavis & Butthead /Adventure Time Mash Up T-Shirt. Get this fun design on a T-Shirt for just $19.95, or on other swag priced accordingly, at This Link!
Fans of Andy Warhol, Comics, or Soup can get this colorful, rad design on a T-Shirt for just $19.95, or on other swag priced accordingly, at This Link!
