Signtology

Dane and Solo
11 August 2006 to 10 September 2006

Collectively known as VOP (Visit Other Planets), and formed in 1988, Dane and Solo gained reputation in the ’90s for producing quality pieces and murals in Brixton and the surrounding area. They have been artists in residence at the Brockwell Lido since 2003.

By subverting traditional brands and popular imagery, VOP’s work, infused with influences ranging from Pop Art and Marvel Comics to early- and mid-20th -century advertising aesthetics, revives the forgotten tradition of graffiti as a social commentator. With humour and irony, Signtology points at the cynical, discreet, yet outrageous infiltrations of marketing messages and political propaganda in our everyday environments.
VOP’s most recent pieces, such as the KFC series, examine the lucrative relation between brands and young people, by highlighting and hijacking some of the most far-fetched guerrilla tactics used by marketing companies to entice teenagers’ loyalty.

Other works such as Grand Theft Iraq are a playful spin on our perceived icons and leaders, the heroes and villains we are presented with, drawing disturbing parallels between people’s choices as consumers and as citizens. Are current affairs the new Brillo?

VOP’s approach to graffiti is simple: to make art that appeals to ordinary people without relying on hype or gimmicks. Signtology is an opened trap door to their cynical yet colourful world, where jokers, superheroes, clowns and Disney characters are symbols of an opulent, decadent and deaf society, hectically dancing and laughing on its way to the gallows.