"The view of me as the anti-hustler can be tied to the fact that capitalism and consumerism have become so pervasive in our culture that almost every niche has become relatively marketable. I suppose the methods I employ to deliver my messages could be seen in some respects as a hustle, especially the hijacking of billboards. I consider myself an anti-hustler because what I really see myself doing is working to expose a larger hustle—the larger hustle being the capitalist system we all exist within and the overwhelming idea that by accumulating more things it will make the world a better place.
With advertising being one of the focal points of promoting capitalism, it has compelled me to work in different arenas to get my point across. When possible I try to work within the system. When the system becomes too oppressive, I tend to use more unconventional approaches. Working unconventionally allows me to break through a rigorous system of controls and censorship and enjoy a little “free speech.” The domination of the dialogue by the powerful few has to be countered with acts of resistance by the many. Co-opting billboards, while risky, has a great shock value and
sometimes people need that shock to get them to wake up.
And as critics of the system continue to alter their methods to expose the status quo, advertisers and corporations have tried to become savvier to the same methods that street artists and culture-jammers have employed against them. Why? Because street art has a level of credibility and perceived sincerity that advertising lacks.
Sometimes companies have seen my work and have used it to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Apple, for instance, put my Charles Manson Think Different billboard on their website, probably because it was funny and criticizes their advertising methodology—but not their product. Criticism of a product doesn’t sell the product. Companies that contact me and that I ultimately do work with are the ones with a progressive agenda. I don’t expect anyone to ask me to do an ad for McDonald’s nor would I ever agree to do one, although I might do my own version."
—Ron English
New York-based painter Ron English is a seminal figure of the culture jamming movement, in which artists and activists subvert advertisements to encourage free thought. He has replaced more than a thousand billboards with his own “subvertisememts.” He is the subject of the documentary: POPaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English.
