Urban art has dramatically blossomed from classic graffiti scattered across cities to a new dimension; street art stickers, or simply stickers. Stickers that litter pedestrian signals, electrical boxes, or just about any accessible surface found in cities allow for self-expression and engage passersby with their message. Street art stickers, when analyzed in connection with specific locations and times in history, provide an in-depth look into the cultures in which they were born. Sticker art, and art in general, serves as a powerful catalyst for sociopolitical change, amplifying marginalized voices, challenging norms, and sparking critical conversations that drive progress.
Activist art is my passion. I am very grateful to have been able to work closely on this project with Catherine Tedford. This project analyzed political parties and organizations in contemporary Spain through sticker propaganda. In total, about 125 stickers from political parties such as Confederación General del Trabajo (General Confederation of Labor, CGT), Joventuts d'Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (the Youth of the Republican Left of Catalonia, JERC), and organizations such as Víctimas Del Progreso - Crímenes De Estado (Victims of Progress - State Crimes) were all cataloged into the JSTOR database. After the tedious process of cataloging, exploration of topics ranging from Animals Rights to Women’s Rights and Catalan Culture were studied, using the different political parties and organizations stickers as reference. With this newfound information, I wrote 12 text panel style papers in relation to specific stickers.
These text panels will be shown in an exhibition at the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery in the spring of 2024 and will hopefully be displayed in Catherine Tedford’s personal exhibition of Paper Bullets: 100 Years of Political Stickers from Around the World and published in her upcoming book.