The Punk Art Movement By Alex Pisalo
F
ew cultural movements have had as much impact on modern society as punk. Like many cultural movements, the origins of punk begun with images, sounds, and expressions. Unfiltered and unaffected by all the social restrictions, the story of the punk movement influence is mostly linked to New York and London, but the punk movement has involved anyone who has rejected the mainstream. As a cultural movement, punk is driven by a refusal to sell out, a desire to do it yourself, and anti-capitalism. Expression of societal disgust, working-class anger, frustration of living, this cultural movement communication style can be found in fashion, music, creative writing, and visual artworks. Punk and Visual Art Punk visual art movement is based, in part, on the anarchistic, anti-conformist, and anti-art approach of Marcel Duchamp and Dadaism. Showcased in art galleries and exhibition spaces, punk visual art graces all of the punk music bands album covers, flyers, posters, walls, and websites. Ever since the late 1970s, punk has been the name for an infinitive number of radical visual art paintings and statements in them, which continue to influence the world we live in today. Angry, aggressive, and full of strong social
and cultural messages, the punk visual art defined the way music records were designed and marketed. Like the Dadaists, punk visual art style features letters cut from newspaper headlines, photocopies of national or popular culture images and collages. The first artist who defined the punk art aesthetic was Jamie Reid. This British artist is best known for designing covers of the music band Sex Pistols. His works ca be seen on cover singles such as “Anarchy in the UK” and “Good save the Queen”, as well as albums Here’s the Sex Pistols and Newer Mind the Bollocks. Jamie Reid’s art can be found in museums and galleries, including New York’s Museum of Modern Arts, and the London’s Tate Gallery. Sculptures, Photographs and Paintings Punk art saw a reinvention in the 20th century. Interpreted in new ways, the do it yourself punk art movement’s approach inspired a whole new group of artists for the self-promotional graffiti, political, and war-related collages, and the photocopied image look. The punk artworks were explosive combinations of illustration, text, and montage, featuring everything from disfigured images of punk music bands, though photographic images to political satire. Always somewhat of an outsider to art world, the anti-art Alan Vega was a genius in his music and visual artworks. He was known for his art sculptures that were made from junked
ArtDiction | 28| May/June 2020
