Image via Complex Original
Let's face it, the 90s were awesome. In a time of pre-Internet subculture, listless urbanites and artistically-minded individuals turned to street art both as a way to lash out at a world they had not yet found their place in and combat a seemingly endless wave of ennui.
Within this class of contemporary alt-artists, names like Barry McGee, Geoff McFetridge, Espo, and Shepard Fairey seemed to rise above the rest — not only because of their unique artistic perspectives, but also the way in which their work seemed to proliferate. It was almost as if they were going viral in a world where memes didn't exist yet. The 2008 documentary Beautiful Losers focuses on the careers and work of this collective group of artists, each playing an influential hand in the burgeoning D.I.Y. world of street art.
Of course, many found a way to turn their talent into gold, as companies quickly found out that the D.I.Y. style was highly-relevant and a great marketing tool, so of course they tapped many of these young artists for collaborations and full-on marketing campaigns. Here's some of our favorites. Check out Beautiful Sellouts: 10 Commercial Projects From Beautiful Losers Artists.
Ed Templeton
Jason Lee's business partner in Toy Machine skateboards, he got his start painting graphics for skateboards and TV, later moving into Toy Machine. This is one of his ads for the company, but one of his most memorable is 1997's "I Will Serve Bloodsucking Companies."
Barry McGee
A member of the Mission School art movement along with fellow Beautiful Losers artist Chris Johanson, McGee's paintings focus on grotesque figures, sometimes juxtaposed with backgrounds of patterns, color fields and drips. In 2006, he was commissioned to work on a collaboration shoe with Adidas and HUF. His self-portrait of his "Ray Fong" persona on the shoe's tongue was deemed stereotypical by Asian-American groups, despite the fact that it depicted an eight-year-old McGee, who is half-Chinese. Regardless, the controversy caused Adidas to pull unsold shoes off of shelves.
Thomas Campbell
Self-taught painter Thomas Campbell grew up in southern California where he immersed himself in surfing and skating culture. He then moved into New York in the 80s, where he found himself chopping it up with the Alleged Gallery crew. In 1999 he began his surf film career with The Seedling, followed by two more movies. He did the album art for Ugly Casanova's Sharpen Your Teeth and the cover for Juxtapoz Magazine's September 2006 issue.
Geoff McFetridge
McFetridge has been praised for his work ever since he was a student at the California Institute of the Arts. A multidisciplinary artist, his work ranges from visual, 3-D, textile, painting, and even poetry. This ad for the ESPN Winter X Games demonstrates his tongue-in-cheek style perfectly.
Espo
Stephen Powers made himself a fixture in the 90s New York City graffiti scene by utilizing clean letters and aping traditional advertising tropes in his work to set himself apart from the toys. His 1999 reveal led to an arrest from then-mayor Giuliani, but since he's gone legit he's established himself as an exhibited artist. In 2004, Nike commissioned him to make these sought-after Air Force IIs as part of an artist series. They currently fetch a pretty penny on the after market scene, these photos come from a reseller.
Harmony Korine
Director Harmony Korine made his name with films like Gummo and Kids, where themes of dark humor and familial dysfunction showed through. In an ad campaign for insurance company Liberty Mutual, he carried over the dysfunctional family theme and translated it for a broader audience while retaining the quirky nature of his work. Crazy grandpas? Kids eating dinner in costumes? Hello, hello, hello, hello White America!
Cheryl Dunn
Dunn's photography has been featured in publications like Spin, Vogue, and Dazed and Confused. Her first film, Sped, focused on fellow Beautiful Losers artists like Thomas Campbell and Chris Johanson. In January 2010 she started working on campaigns for clothing company WeSC, photographing actors like Jason Lee and Peter Stormare. She continues to work with them in campaigns like this one.
Aaron Rose
Rose was one of the co-curators of the Beautiful Losers touring art exhibit, editor of the book, and director of the documentary itself. The owner of New York City's defunct Alleged Gallery, he is a born storyteller. As a creative consultant for ad agency Wieden + Kennedy, he hit the open road to document the American worker in this campaign for Levi's.
Mike Mills
Director Mike Mills got his start in music videos for the likes of Air, Yoko Ono, and Blonde Redhead. He was also a graphic designer for artists like Ol' Dirty Bastard, Sonic Youth, and Beastie Boys. He's also worked for fashion designers like Marc Jacobs, and then moved into film with 2005's Thumbsucker. This ad for Volkswagen was one of his most memorable.
Shepard Fairey
The man behind the OBEY giant now has a posse himself. Starting in the skateboarding scene, he moved into wheatpasting and street art with the "Andre the Giant has a Posse" campaign he created while schooling at the Rhode Island School of Design. Yet, it was his 2008 art for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama that catapulted him into national prominence, and even a TIME magazine cover.
