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Ben Frost Ties Hyper-Consumerism to Addiction cover

Ben Frost Ties Hyper-Consumerism to Addiction

Golden arches on a field of blazing scarlet? That’s McDonald’s. Instantly recognizable worldwide, the brand’s iconography serves as a backdrop for Ben Frost’s sculptural pop art mash-ups. Subverting messages from mainstream media, the artist’s acerbic commentary on advertising, entertainment, and politics is self-aware without being self-serious.

Regarding his upcoming exhibition, Friends in High Places, Ben says, “[The show] is both a satirical critique of consumer culture and a begrudging celebration of it. Blurring the lines between the visceral and addictive experience of drug use with the seductive products of consumerism, the exhibition explores our love/hate relationship with these products and the characters who sell them to us.”

Among Ben’s Friends, you’ll find an army of media-savvy brand ambassadors: a glammed-out Miss Piggy hawks Chanel, Bart Simpson peddles Ritalin after school, and Dracula hustles limp, greasy fries from red and yellow cardboard boxes. “These 'friends in high places' reflect a type of drug-fueled hyper-consumerism, endlessly selling products of any morality with their cheery, dead-eye stares,” says Ben of the new work.

Australian pop artist Ben Frost amplifies the consumer’s guilty pleasures in ‘Friends in High Places.’
‘Bart on Ritalin’

Lovingly painted on board bolted together, and finished with spray paint, Ben’s pop-inspired creations flaunt flat, polished surfaces that reflect his fixation on consumer culture—whether high or low end. “The contrast between fast food and high-end fashion is one of status and attainability,” admits Ben. “But they are all icons of desire.”

Friends in High Places is on view September 17 through October 22 at Corey Helford Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. The show appears alongside Kristen Liu-Wong’s Hard Pressed and Messy Desk’s Cloudy Wonderland.

“These 'friends in high places' reflect a type of drug-fueled hyper-consumerism, endlessly selling products of any morality with their cheery, dead-eye stares.” — Ben Frost

Australian pop artist Ben Frost amplifies the consumer’s guilty pleasures in ‘Friends in High Places.’
‘50mg Thumper’
Australian pop artist Ben Frost amplifies the consumer’s guilty pleasures in ‘Friends in High Places.’
‘Super K Mario’
‘Shrooms’
‘McChungus’
‘McChungus’ (side view)
‘Piggy Chanel’
‘Piggy Chanel’ (side view)
‘The Hunger’
‘The Hunger’ (side view)

Ben Frost: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Purchase Work

All photos published with permission of the artist(s).

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Morgan  Laurens 

Morgan Laurens (she/her/hers) is NOT REAL ART’s editor in chief. Morgan is an arts writer from the Midwest who enjoys saying “excuse me” when no actual pardon is needed. She specializes in grant writing and narrative-based storytelling for mission-driven artists and arts organizations. With a background in printmaking, pop culture, and classic literature, Morgan believes a girl’s best friend is the pile of books on her bedside table.

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