Popaganda

The Art and Crimes of Ron English

All Region NTSC

Cinema Libre Studio

Web: http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com

Popaganda is a comprehensive examination of the life and work of guerrilla artist Ron English by Pedro Carvajal. In the American guerrilla and radical art movements there are many ways to express their shared contempt for consumerism and the way in which advertising has destroyed the American way of life. For many it is in the form of graffiti art, for the most daring, it is through the liberation of billboards. Such use ranges from simple defacing or transformation of key elements (by such groups as the Billboard Liberation Front) to the total replacement of a billboard with one that has an ironic or cynical twist.

This is where Ron English comes into his own, nobody has created the sort of unique Billboard art that English has created. By taking cultural icons such as Ronald McDonald and Joe Camel and subverting them he is able to bring attention to the pitfalls of capitalism gone wild. In terms of Ronald McDonald he created an extremely obese McDonald icon which brought attention to the fat content in their food; it was made famous in Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me. He took special issue with what he saw as the advertising of cigarettes to children and took direct action against the Joe Camel advertising campaign. His replacement billboards caused such a stir among the young that to a large extent the campaign lost most of its effectiveness.

His work is multifaceted and includes amazing oil paintings, posters and album covers. While many artists would simply use their “new found infamy” as a spring board to develop their career. English has continued to work with billboards and radical cultural subversion believing this to be a significant part of his self expression. While at times he is warned by both his wife and art dealer that he should spend more time on his commercial painting, he is driven to express his views in the public arena. He even went on a television show where he promised his wife he would not paint another billboard for twelve months, he lasted two weeks !

He has had many legal problems including a short stint in jail as hijacking a billboard is seen as a second degree felony, it seems advertising is taken very seriously in America.

This film offers a very professional form of documentary filmmaking which is direct and honest. It shows English warts and all - doing his art, putting up his billboards, issues at home with his wife about what he does and his artistic process. This is a superbly “fly on the wall” doco which makes you feel like you have become part of his life for 80 minutes.

It is also packed with extras including various commentaries, a comprehensive gallery, excellent featurettes including one on his Gnostic art series and work with the Dandy Warhols, music videos and lots more. There is internet content which can be accessed online.

The menu is nicely done as a virtual museum which offers the various options through select pieces of Ron English’s art.

This review will appear in Volume 2:1 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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