Jamie Reid: Cultural Dissent

The London born artist Jamie Reid played a critical and controversial role in the sharp edged punk rock movement which exploded throughout the US and the UK during the 1970's. The punk rock movement, rooted in the DIY mindset was the jumping-off point for Reid's uncensored, in your face aesthetic, which perfectly captured this aggressive sub culture.

Reid was exposed to political and cultural rebellion at an early age by his activist parents. Highly influenced by the anarcho-dadaists, Reid's work contained the strong and restless voice of a dissatisfied generation of mainstream misfits. Reid channeled his dissent by starting an underground publishing outfit: Suburban Press, which managed to catch the attention of the UK based punk band, the Sex Pistols.

Reid's work was not considered gallery worthy at the time. In fact, most of his work was so controversial that many people thought it to be tasteless filth. Thus, Reid used the street to voice his social commentary.

In a recent interview with the art & culture magazine Juxtapoz Reid comments on the enduring influence of public/street art...

"Ordinary people would see these images wheat pasted on walls, stickers, in shops, and splashed across the covers of newspaper, and they couldn't help but react. Sometimes they'd be scared, sometimes they'd be amused, and sometimes they'd start wondering what was really going on."

Today Reid's art is predominantly shamanistic and religiously inspired. Reid explains that he is simply exploring the other side of the evolutionary spectrum...

"If there's one thing I've always been aware of, its that if you need political change, you also need spiritual change."

But when it comes to his opinion of art galleries, not much has changed. He still approaches these institutions with the cynical outlook that helped define a worldwide cultural movement.

"The whole thing is so corrupt and so negative. Im not depressed about it at all–I just choose to do things my own way."