Earlier this week, President Obama took a trip to Los Angeles for a private fundraiser at the home of Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes. That in itself is nothing to write home about because people host private fundraisers all the time, but the fact that it was a $34,000-per-guest type of fundraiser put a bad taste in some people's mouths.
A group of unidentified street artists in the city decided to create a series of posters that mimic Scandal print ads, condoning all of the "scandals" that have taken place during Obama's presidency. The posters use an edited version of Obama's portrait taken by Martin Schoeller paired with the phrase "Don't be an #asshole" and buzzwords like "Syria," "Obamacare," and "NSA."
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The various ads were installed on benches (above), dumpsters, and other surfaces with high visibility. According to Artnet, street artist Sabo was initially credited with the creation of the project, but the artist spoke with The Blaze, explaining that his involvement was limited.
Sabo said that he "literally trained" the artists to execute the project, and that he was shown the art weeks in advance. "I thought the branding was weak and told them so," he admitted to The Blaze, adding that he was supposed to be involved with mounting the art, but the team worked without him, ahead of schedule. Sabo tweeted a critique of the work, as well as a harsh comment about the President:
NEXT TIME MEASURE THE BENCHES GUYS!!! I SWEAR ... :) YOU GET A B- ON THE BENCH ART. http://t.co/BMSFWMYdTY
— unsavoryagents (@unsavoryagents) July 22, 2014
JUST THINK WITH OBAMA WE NOT ONLY GOT THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT BUT ALSO THE FIRST VAGINA!!! http://t.co/BrfNJaN9oR
— unsavoryagents (@unsavoryagents) July 21, 2014
There is no word on whether or not Obama saw the street art, but we like to think that if he did, he would smile and brush it off.
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[via Artnet]
