Known for skewering political figures and delivering satirical posters of them in cities across the U.S., guerrilla artist Robbie Conal is still at it. For nearly four decades, Conal has mocked the parade of – primarily rightwing – hypocrites, bigots, and warmongers who occupy political office, along with the sycophants who prop them up. In stealthy but prolific protest, the artist, along with a cadre of like-minded volunteers, has been wheatpasting his posters across the city of Los Angeles since the late 1980s. Frightening beliefs beget frightening images. The original works are painted in gray scale, thickly layered to depict bulging jowls and demonic eyes, creating a macabre cast that manifests their corruption through physical appearance.
Conal says, “The initial drawing process helps me dig deeper into their actual character, beneath the gloss of their public bluster. The challenge is then to amplify that preliminary discovery of their real persona, and put my own satirical spin on their foibles in my finished artwork.”
