Thrashbird is a
Los Angeles–based
street artist of unverified identity known for his billboard takeovers, stencils and
wheatpastes. His
satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
street art
Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art.
Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...
and subversive content combine humor with social observations to highlight issues of media obsession,
selfie culture and reliance on technology. In 2016, he was listed on
KCRW's radio broadcast as being one of the most exciting contemporary street artists to watch.
Urban projects and the clone
Thrashbird is known for putting his work in urban areas where his message can reach a large target audience. The artist became known for his image of the texting clone, a silhouette of a slender figure in a hoodie, glued to his phone and hunched to read the screen. When
Blackberry Phones were popular, Thrashbird said that he noticed his friends were more interested in their phones than in the world around them. When the
iPhone was released, according to Thrashbird this trend got worse, inspiring him to respond through his art.
Desert projects
More recently, Thrashbird has expanded his city practice to the desert, incorporating the natural landscape and its abandoned buildings.
Public activism and auctions
Awareness and activism are central themes in Thrashbird's work and the artist has presented in several symposia to talk about them. In 2016 he was a featured guest at the
LA Art Show
The LA Art Show (Los Angeles Art Show) is an international encyclopedic art exhibition which was originally conceived by the Fine Art Dealers Association (FADA). The show annually takes place in Los Angeles, typically in January/February, and is no ...
speaking on a panel on the
Commercialization of Street Art. His work has been included in street art auctions, including the 2016 Street Art and Contemporary Art sale at
Julien's Auctions alongside works by
Banksy,
Shepard Fairey and
Mr. Brainwash.
References
External links
STREET ART AS A SIGN OF PROTEST AND DISSENT -THRASHBIRD IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thrashbird
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American street artists
Artists from Los Angeles