Blog | Alex Cooper

Art Advisory Guide: 8 Things to Know About Plastic Jesus

Written by Kathleen Hamill | Director of Modern & Contemporary Art | Jun 5, 2023 7:14:18 PM

Plastic Jesus is the pseudonym of a Los Angles based street artist dubbed the “Banksy of LA” by the Daily Beast. He has been receiving great critical acclaim following his installations featuring the Kardashians and Donald Trump.

Photo copyright, Plastic Jesus.

1) Plastic Jesus is British, though he is known as an LA street artist.

Born in London, Plastic Jesus relocated to Los Angeles, CA, and began his successful career as a street artist. His bio states, “Plastic Jesus is not about revolution, he is not an anarchist but would like to see some changes around the place. His work is more about shining a small light into some of those dark corners of society.”

2) He has been featured (anonymously) in media around the globe.

Plastic Jesus and his work have been seen on BBC, CNN, ABC News, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, The Sun, The Daily Mirror, the LA Times, LA Weekly, The Daily Mail, MSNBC, The Daily Telegraph, Time, US Weekly and many more.

3) He is known for taking on complex political and social issues and poking fun at the norms in society to raise awareness.

He uses his art to confront compliance in our culture and to shine a light on issues. He has taken on immigration, gun control, school shootings, the Kardashians, Donald Trump, and the superficial nature of Hollywood. He uses humor, irony, criticism, and unique opinion to create art that engages on many levels.

4) Plastic Jesus built a wall.

One of his most famous installations involved the creation of a miniature border wall constructed around the Hollywood Star of Donald Trump. The concrete wall was six inches high and covered with miniature propaganda. The piece was featured in the Huffpost in July 2016 in an article titled “Donald Trump Finally Got that Great Wall He’s Been After.” Read it here: Donald Trump Finally Got That Great Wall He's Been After | HuffPost Latest News

Photo copyright, Plastic Jesus.

5) His work is highly collectible.

According to his website, www.plasticjesus.net, his collectors include the Getty Family, the Kardashians, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, and Harry Styles. The Smithsonian Institute also features art by Plastic Jesus. As the artist is living and producing, we are just beginning to see his work filter to the secondary auction market.

6) He was a successful Photo Journalist.

Prior to becoming a force in street art, Plastic Jesus was photographer for over two decades. He switched to his provocative style of art as a result of the “narrowness of mainstream media coverage in order to apply his visual storytelling to a more direct practice.”

7) He has a large Instagram following.

To date the artist has over 71,000 followers, and over 5000 hashtag posts. He has been compared to Mr. Brainwash, Bansky and is inspired by Blek le Rat. He is also influenced by the graffiti art in around London in the 1970’s. Ahead of a recent exhibition, he was interviewed about his work and influences in Street Art News. Follow him everywhere, @plasticjesus.

8) Alex Cooper has a piece for Auction on June 10th.

Do not miss the work, “Never Stop Dreaming.” At lot 1210, the iconic stop sign is encased in a custom-made box frame. The piece was acquired in California directly from the artist himself. It presents an exciting opportunity for our collectors to add street art to their collection portfolio.

, Plastic Jesus. "Never Stop Dreaming," street sign

For more information on the Plastic Jesus, please visit alexcooper.com.

 

 

Kathleen Hamill
Director of Modern & Contemporary Art
kathleen@alexcooper.com