ZEVS

i found out about this artist - ZEVS from HK Ming Pau Weekly.. in an article about his 'vandalism' on Chanel logo (click to view video) at Central, HK. Zevs interested me by this activities named- "Visual Kidnapping"..

In 2002 he cut out a model of a gigantic Lavazza-poster at Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Above the hole in the poster he wrote: "VISUAL KIDNAPPING - PAY NOW!" This intervention not only struck a chord with art lovers and people in Berlin. It has also inspired political activists. Stealing an image from a poster in Germany is now spoken of in the media as a visual kidnapping.

"Visual kidnapping is like entering an interactive game: If the brand on the billboard kidnaps the attention of the public with the purpose of consumer demand, I reverse the situation and I kidnap the model on the poster and I demand a ransom of 500,000€ from the brand. This sum represents the symbolic price of an advertising campaign for the brand." Interview with PingMag, 11 August 2008. (quote from Wikipedia)

haha, funny right? and according to MPW, he even cut a finger of the model from that poster, and post it to the owner to request for ransom! :D

ABOUT ZEVS:

French graffiti artist ZEVS, famous for investigating the relationship between commercialized cityscapes and the public's unquestioned acceptance of it.

Known for targeting omnipresent corporate identities such as IBM, Coca Cola and McDonalds by manipulating their billboards, Zeus brings that same aesthetic to the gallery by transforming the space into an urban setting. Tagging the walls and interfering with the architecture through installations and use of light, he destabilizes the interior and demands questioning of the total acceptance of corporations' representation in our subconscious.

(quote from www.coolhunting.com)

you can view his website: http://www.gzzglz.com/ which looks like google liquidating.