'Show Me the Money: Ultra Luxury Edition,' by XVALA, Mixed Media Painting
This large 119" x 72" mixed media painting by the artist, XVALA, is from his series 'Pandemic Collection: 8' and depicts bright colorful cartoon characters repeatedly throughout the work utilizing an iridescent oil stick and paint on a screen printed canvas. Images are layered with text, symbols, and cartoons in a vibrant palette. The Covid virus is scattered throughout.
"Large and in charge. In your face and over the top. This piece makes a statement in any space for someone who has it all and isn't afraid to show it. It presents a bold statement about flex culture and those who have -or claim- the ability to escape the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scale, financial symbolism, and overall bling of this piece communicate ongoing power in the face of the economic realities of 2020." --XVALA
Exhibited during the Pandemic Paintings exhibition at the Meme Ranch August 7th, 2020.
XVALA's art illuminates the hidden fallout spawned from our high tech Internet age. His' Fear Google' campaign exposed the decay of privacy and No Delete used hacked nude celebrity photos to highlight loss of control over personal information. The artist has worked with trash from the homes of Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and others, as well as dirt from the graves of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. The dirt appears in the New World Order collection as part of a pyramidal, 3D printed, living ant farm, a symbol of the surveillance and conformity the digital state forces on users.
XVALA exposes a blurring between public and private information while supporting privacy, freedom of speech, and content ownership. His Meme Ranch project addresses a theft of both freedom of information and freedom of expression by governments and tech giants.
XVALA is often compared to Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, and Richard Prince. His street art offers satirical commentary on other artists, including Banksy.
- Subject Matter: Comic and Cartoon Characters in Vivid Colors
- Created: 2020
- Collections: Large Scale Paintings