Hijack, "Misfit" 2022. 13 color silkscreen print on Archival paper. 22 x 30 in.
Hijack is a street artist from Los Angeles, California. He creates societal commentary through his artwork, attracting the public for deeper contemplation. As a street artist, his work is typically displayed in public spaces for anyone to see. The artwork “MIsfits”, shows two hooded figures at opposite ends of a golden frame. Both characters are struggling to push red 3D Graffiti styled letters writing “Misfit” to fit inside of the frame. Letters are bursting out of each side, seeming it won't fit inside of the artwork anytime soon. The frame can be interpreted to be hung upon a gallery wall and be displayed to an audience. The visual image creates a commentary of the correlation in graffiti art versus gallery art.
The hooded figure is assumed to be the graffiti artist who created the artwork. With the word choice Misfit, and the anonymous character, there is a symbolic representation of the division from the blue-chip gallery world and street art. Although graffiti entwined more into the contemporary art world in the late 70s, it is fair to say street art is more challenging to get displayed in a gallery, rather than a traditional painting. One can interpret this painting as street artists feeling unwelcomed in the contemporary art world. However, it can also be viewed as an exploitation in graffiti artwork to commercialize work. Since in graffiti, letters are to be stretched/enlarged/and creatively dragged out, the pressure from the two characters pushing to fit letters inside the frame can symbolize conforming style and authenticity to sell and publicize their work.
Either interpretation sparks reflection or thought to the viewer upon unofficial roles and stereotypes in the art world. With Hijack's devotion to street art, it also creates wonder of his journey and transition from displaying work not only on public streets, but to galleries as well.
Isaac Cordal, "Usual Business" 2017. Polyurethane resin and acrylic. 15 x 10 1/2 x 3 in.
Isaac Cordal is a street artist from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain. He creates sculptures reflecting our modern society. On his traveling journey, he finds random urban locations he deems fitting for an idea of a sculpture. He constructs a typically smaller scale artwork and comes back once it is complete to install it, allowing anyone who looks closely enough to view. His sculptures are created out of polyurethane concrete and painted with acrylic, producing a design that is durable enough to be in external environments. This sculpture shows a man from the chest up dressed in a grey suit and tie. His face is covered in a red ski mask hood, only revealing his eyes and mouth. The expression of the character seems to be deadpan.
Throughout many of Isaac's works, he creates many similar sculptures of men in business suits. In an interview on “Canal180” titled “180 ID Isaac Cordal”, he says, “These people are white collar, they look like they don't break a plate, and in the end, those are the people that manipulate the world. In case of corruption, for example, we see how the most corrupt are the best dressed.” Isaac depicts the suited character to be a representation a businessman associated with power. Just like in Hijacks painting, the sculpture carries an anonymity through the masked face, presenting a whole certain group of people as one. In Hijacks painting, the hooded person is an underrepresented artist that is out of place in the set environment. In Isaacs work, we can note the connotation of the businessman's immorality, since the characters mask is correlated to one a robber wears to protect their identity while stealing. The hood used in the artwork evokes a feeling of dishonesty and thievery of those who hold power in any hierarchal groups, whether it be through corporations, businesses, politics, etc. Isaac displays the sculpture directly facing the viewer, feeling almost as if the businessman is "robbing one blind".
Although Hijack and Isaac create embodiments of people in the work, there is still a vagueness as to what they speak for. Both art works create a question of the ability of success within a hierarchy, leaving questions such as "Who has power to condone decisions within and for our society?". "How equitable and honest are these people in power?". A sense of rebellion and objection radiates through the work motivating a sense of curiosity and question societal roles and expectations.
