Ron English. ElvisElvis, 2007. Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas. 91.4 x 91.4 cm; 36 x 36 in.
Ron English is a contemporary American artist, best known for his conflation of pop culture brand imagery. English's practice involves the idea of culture jamming, or the shifting public perception of corporate agendas, through modification to mainstream brands and iconography, as seen in his frequent combination of Marilyn Monroe with Mickey Mouse. He often brings together two or more recognizable iconic images into abrupt juxtapositions, creating uncanny, Pop Art collages. Born in 1959 in Chicago, IL, English has participated in street art campaigns since the early 1980s, and studied the University of North Texas in Denton and a received an MFA from the University of Texas in Austin. Some of the artist’s best-known images include MC Supersized, an obese reimagining of McDonald's famous clown that was created for the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, and Abraham Obama, a conflation of the 16th and 44th Presidents that helped fuel interest in Obama's 2008 presidential bid. He lives and works in Beacon, NY.