Obey AK-47 (left)

The Obey AK-47 diptych was created in 1998 when I was first learning how to use Illustrator on a Mac. I scanned the gun and did the rest of the design in Illustrator. I was in my phase of emulating the style of Russian Constructivist propaganda art which was very powerful aesthetically and economical to produce because of the minimal color palette. I also was amused that because of the Cold War, Americans were conditioned to fear anything with a Soviet association. After studying Phenomenology, one of my premises was that people judge things superficially, so it is easy to provoke them with art that looks sinister even though it is benevolent. Conversely, I was concerned that people are too ...View all