“No you May not!”
Maureen Barlin, creative commons license
Or so you might imagine Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May saying if you asked to illegally wheat-paste a political parody of her person on a London street. But that is exactly what is happening often these days, says Matt Brown, who calls himself “probably the most London-obsessed person in the world”.
“Any Prime Minister can expect to become the target of mockery, parody and satirical anger,” says Mr. Brown in his recent photo essay published in The Londonist. “Theresa May is no exception. In fact, she’s an inspiration. You don’t have to wander far around London to chance across a wry stencil, or biting paste-up.”
A wheat-pasted poster campaign by the artist duo kennardphillipps, a collaboration between Peter Kennard and Cat Phillipps who have been working on the street together since 2002. (photo © kennardphillipps)
For a New Yorker its actually a relief to not have to look at Street Art that lampoons our own orange travesty for a change, as American cities are routinely assaulted with images of Trump. Somehow, however clever, they don’t bring a smile to most passersby. So, as a bit of aesthetic palette cleanser, here are a couple of recent Street Artist creations with Mrs. May as the surly, scary, and sometimes sordid subject.
See more in Matt Brown’s article Theresa May: London’s Unlikely Street Art Icon.
Follow him on Twitter at @mattfromlondon
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