Mobstr Knows What Is And What Isn't Acceptable

Simple, effective and always on point. As funny as this piece is for a chuckle and a nod, this is pretty serious on a fundamental level. When we privilege one type of communication over another we are making a collective decision about our priorities and ultimately our desires for our future selves. As of right now, we got it all fucked up and Mobstr knows it.

New Mobstr

Fresh new work from Mobstr

New Mobstr Work in 2015

Mobstr just sent over these two new street pieces and I am of course enjoying them. The above piece in particular intrigues me as I think about the viewer who knows nothing about street art, and less about the ad takeover sub-genre that Mobstr sometimes traverses. Whose voice do they assume Mobstr's text work is speaking in, and who is it speaking to? See more of Mobstr's work [HERE]

Mobstr - Graffiti in a frame

Trying to keep this site updated with content has fallen victim to the ease of Instagram posting and the "like" feedback loop that is incredibly satisfying while simultaneously being a drain on my faculties. I've got some new work coming up soon, NOAD is still well worth checking out with new Gif art showing now, and Public Access which will be expanding in the net month after its initial launch. Until then, enjoy this beautiful and honest Mobstr piece. 

Mobstr Is At It Again

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I am a big fan of Mobstr's work. Here are two recent pieces in London.

New Work by Three Other Artists

I absolutely love this clever collaboration between BR1 and Elfo in Istanbul. 

 Elfo and BR1

Elfo and BR1

Mobstr continues to make fantastic use of billboards by giving the a "voice" which often reinforces advertisings underlying nature to be loud, obnoxious, petty. and self involved. See more [HERE]

New Work by Mobstr

New work by Mobstr.

Mobstr Competes For Your Attention

Like the ads before, these Mobstr pieces compete for your attention and hopefully make you acutely aware of what advertising is all about. More [HERE]

How Rude: New Work By Mobstr

New work by Mobstr tells us what we already know, but just can't help. 

Mobstr is Busy

Not only is Mobstr unusually deft in his public art production but he can be pretty damn prolific. Enjoy!

Mobstr Displays Unusual Agility in His Public Art Practice

Mobstr just sent over these new images and a video which can be viewed below. Mobstr's work has always delighted me because he often uses billboards as his preferred outdoor canvas. I get a special kick out of seeing work which happens over outdoor advertising regardless of the content. But Mobstr's projects are not all ad takeovers and ultimately his work is not about advertisings monopoly of public space. It seems more about the simple act of using public space to create endless opportunities for communication and engagement. Visual puns like this Apathy piece above, require the viewer to get the punchline in order to be complete, they are participatory. In fact many of Mobstr's projects involve other civic actors that help him turn public space into a bit of theatre, and we delight in its playfulness. The politics of public space usage that lies behind all of the fun in Mobstr's work is there, but bundled in a much more pleasant package. It's agile work that at its heart opens up dialogues about how we should use public space, converses with the current participants, and gives the public front row access to the show. Enjoy!

Mobstr - HA!

I can't tell you how many times I have seen outdoor advertising glitches like this and felt exactly this sentiment. Mobstr is always on point!

How to Turn a Billboard Into a Giant Doodle Pad for the Public

tsb hd from mobstr on Vimeo. I have been wanting to put something together about Mobstr for some time now. His work, while not always over advertising, speaks to my concerns about public space as a social environment in ways other artists works simply do not. If you don't know Mobstr's work, you should give him a look, [HERE] Often, Mobstr speaks directly to you as viewer, but just as often to some other public character, the buff, the architect, the urban planner. In doing so his work doesn't only adress you individually but other actors which help shape how we see and use public space. What I love about this is that it makes you realize that we are all constantly creating and recreating our public environment, acting on it in ways which we hope changes it for the better, or more often for our personal needs. In the piece above, Mobstr brings the public directly into the conversation in a more obvious way, but again making sure you understand you are part of a greater conversation. 

New Mobstr Interactive Scribble Billboard -

VIA Vandalog:

This new Ad Takeover by Mobstr is a succinct explanation of why I want advertising to go the way of the dinosaur and open up our city spaces to the public and their need to communicate their own ideas in public space. A Fantastic piece. More [HERE]

Mobstr - Lessons in advertising Vol 5?

Mobstr is at is again with what I believe to be the 5th in his "Lessons in Advertising" series. Mobstr's work always has a wonderfully playful sense of humor and yet quite obviously questions the sanity of surrounding ourselves with commercial advertising. I am a big fan and you should be too. see more of Mobstr's work [HERE]

A Look Back at Norway's Nuart Festival, a Gathering of Street Artists From L.A. and Around the World

While the article by Shelly Leopold below describes me as an opportunist as opposed to an artist, it does show some of the wonderful AR quickly pulled off by the Re+Public team at this years NuArt festival. Artist's outdoor works for NuArt face harsh Norwegian conditions and paper works by Swoon are particularly susceptible to the elements. Bringing them back with AR seemed a worthy endeavor. Look for more from Re+Public in the next few weeks as we officially launch in 2013. 

VIA LA Weekly

In Stavanger, Norway, every September for the past 12 years, Nuart, one of the largest street art festivals in the world, transpires. Closeted in the beautiful Fijords, Stavanger is a quaint, oil-rich community with a high standard of living, sometimes making the list as most expensive in all of Europe. However, it is not easy to get to, rains 20 hours out of every day (at least in the fall) and has a zero tolerance law when it comes to tagging and graffiti. A perfect spot to host preeminent street art and its artists? More [HERE]

Mobstr - Lessons In Advertising 3 & 4

Mobstr and I had a chance to talk at this years NuART and I have a feeling he will be active over advertising in some fun and significant ways in the near future. Until then here are two fantastic billboard takeovers whose simplicity is absolutely arresting.

Lessons in Advertising Volume Two - Mobstr

Mobstr is at it again, updating his "Lessons in Advertising" series with these two new pieces. Mobstr has the uncanny ability to boil down what can often feel like a complex campaign to overwhelm your subconscious mind, into the simplest tactics used by the outdoor advertising industry. With this new piece he gets at one of the most prevalent advertising strategies, illuminating not only the reason for advertisings interest in overwhelming you, but also the lack of any meaningful content associated with most outdoor advertisements. There are some very interesting developments happening in the anti outdoor advertising campaigns of the world these days that I think the constant reminders by artists like Mobstr are helping to drive this newfound resistance. A big thanks to Mobstr for his incredibly adept work and to all of the people out there who are recognizing that a public consumed with conspicuous consumption is a public distracted from its duty to create a more meaningful public experience for each and every one of us. 

Mobstr - New Work - Advertising, Vol. 1

Mobstr sent over these fantastic images a few days ago. The pulled back version is needed to show context and the always sharp witted Mobstr at his best.

Graffiti 1 - Sofa 0

VIA Wooster Collective