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Christopher Simmons

@thisiscchs

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I make things that mean things.

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Please Stand By by @thisiscchs

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7

2 years ago

Selected for the de Young Open!

The 2021 inaugural Open was incredible. Reminiscent of the Royal Academy’s Summer Show, it exploded with art from well-known and emerging Bay Area artists in an epic salon-style exhibition that demanded multiple visits to fully appreciate. I’m honored to be included in this year’s exhibition as well. Open September 30.

This is the statement for my piece:

In the months leading up to Donald Trump’s 2016 election Anheuser Busch temporarily renamed its Budweiser beer “America” — creating an artifact that transcended its commercial purpose to become an act of potent political commentary. With snippets of the national anthem, pledge of allegiance, and motto adorning the $1 beer, these revered democratic texts are relegated to decorative status. Even in its unaltered form the can presents itself as a deeply cynical metaphor. Consumerism is implicated as an American value. A national identity appears manufactured and packaged for mass consumption. Democracy becomes disposable.

It’s hard to decide whether the conflation of America and shitty beer is more an act of marketing hubris or razor-sharp editorial commentary. Is Belgain-owned Budweiser so American that is America? Is America—once a symbol of freedom and “equality” little more than a product to be hyped and sold to the masses on the empty promise of patriotism?

Though the re-branded beer was only sold for a few months, I stumbled upon this flattened version in Yosemite National Park in June, 2022. Empty, discarded, and obsolete, its metaphorical significance seemed only more apt.

#thedeyoungopen #bayareaart #sfartist #textart #america #budweiser #politicalart #yosemite taken in San Francisco, California by @thisiscchs

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14

3 years ago

#vote by @thisiscchs

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2

4 years ago

Presidents of the United States, 2020⁠⠀
Two-color letterpress⁠⠀
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Ed. of 45⁠⠀
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#Letterpress #potus #bidenxdesign #riseupshopupunite #joebiden #kamalaharris #dumptrump #politicalart #printmaking #flag #america by @thisiscchs

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11

6 years ago

(We are, therefore we must be) Ruthless⁠
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In Celebration of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020. ⁠
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Purchase link in bio.
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#RBG #notoriousrbg #ruthless #rbgforever #strongwomen #design #supreme #tshirt #scotus #whentherearenine by @thisiscchs

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14

6 years ago

E Pluribus Unum⠀
(From many, one) by @thisiscchs

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11

6 years ago

San Andreas Fault⁠⠀
Two-color screen print on Rives BFK, White, 250gsm⁠⠀
22" x 30"⁠⠀
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Edition of 25⁠⠀
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California is shaped by many things—the film industry, agriculture, tech innovation, social justice. Perhaps uniting all of these is its undeniable psychological geology. ⁠⠀
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The San Andreas Fault extends 750 miles down the coast of California—the tectonic boundary between the North American and Pacific plates. Quite literally, the west coast is moving in a different direction than the rest of the country. This rift both defines and defies the doctrine of manifest destiny. It represents the cultural force of a people that, having reached the physical limit of the frontier, continue to push forward into new ones.⁠⠀
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California lures those with a desire to live at the epicenter of innovation despite the inexorable cataclysm that awaits them.⁠⠀
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This is the first in a series of reductionist “maps” that explore the contours of culture and geography, psychological topographies, and alternative documentations of place.⁠⠀
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#california #losangeles #sanfrancisco #screenprint #limitededtion #earthquake #epicenter #geology #geography #topography #topographic #map #mapart #actofmapping #homedecor #wallart #handmade #architect #modern #blackandwhite #minimalism #black #white #cartography #cartographyart #minimalist #homestyle #westcoastbestcoast taken in California by @thisiscchs

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3

6 years ago

Black Beans Matter⁠⠀
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In July, 2020, as the nation grappled with yet another death of a black man at the hands of white police and the #blacklivesmatter movement was at the center of America's national psyche, Trump and his administration steadfastly refused to say the words a grieving nation needed to hear, "Black Lives Matter."⁠⠀
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Instead he and his daughter took to @twitter to pose with a can of @goyafoods black beans. Frijoles Negros.⁠⠀
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Offensive, dehumanizing, and humiliating on so many levels, I struggle with whether I even want this work to exist, let alone by my hand. ⁠⠀
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But it is the job of art to speak truth to power, and the job of those with power to heed it. ⁠⠀
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Mixed media. Gold spray paint, screen print, and gold leaf on paper.⁠⠀
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#blm #socialjustice #humanrights #blackpower #equality #art #donaldtrump #politics #usa #america #president #maga #makeamericagreatagain #presidenttrump #offensive #Goyaway #design #screenprinting #printlife #painting #artist #contemporaryart #artwork #collage #mixedmediaart #warhol by @thisiscchs

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1

6 years ago

Bernal Rock / Black Lives Matter Print (v.2)⁠⠀
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The second run is drying and will be ready for delivery tomorrow. Link in bio.⁠⠀
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1-Color Screen⁠print
16” x 20”⁠⠀
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When @kseniya.co's "Black Lives Matter" message was defaced on the famed Bernal Rock in early June it not only made local, regional, and even national news, it also galvanized the community around the art and the cause. In the end, Kseniya ended up repainting the message six times, each time joined by more artists, neighbors, and supporters. To help preserve the message between defacements—and after the art is replaced on the ever-evolving rock—I created this print for residents to show their solidarity.⁠⠀
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The first 100 were distributed free. This second run comes at a nominal cost to cover expenses. Every purchase gets one print for you and one delivered to a random Bernal Heights neighbor. ⁠⠀
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The neighborhood support has been amazing, with others rallying to create t-shirts and stickers based on the the design, which have so far raise more than $4,000 for various nonprofit organizations that support the black community. ⁠⠀
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Thanks again to @apedogood for donating the printing. Poster profits donated to @cityofdreamssf ⁠⠀
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#screenprinting #art #design #printlife #sanfrancisco #bayarea #blacklivesmatter #socialjustice #humanrights #urbanart #handmade #community #graphicdesign #print #posterdesign #posters #artwork taken in Bernal Heights by @thisiscchs

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6 years ago

I've been experimenting a little with these rorschach-esque figures recently. Still not sure where they are going, if anywhere. ⁠⠀
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#sketch #art #artoftheday #draw #screenprinting #printlife #print by @thisiscchs

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6 years ago

There is a rock in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood that is routinely painted by an unknown artist (or artists). Sometimes it depicts a poo emoji, a slice of watermelon, or an avocado, other times it celebrates Pride, July 4th, or St. Patrick’s day.
In June of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, it was painted with the message “Black Lives Matter.” For the first time in anyone’s memory, the art was defaced. The artist, @kseniyeahhh , returned the next day to repaint it. This saga was repeated five times. Each time more artists and neighbors joined the effort to restore it.
I created this 16” x 20” screen print and distributed them free to neighbors as a means of preserving the rock’s message in the face of relentless defacement. Thanks to @apedogood for generously donating the printing! #blacklivesmatter #bernalheights #sanfrancisco taken in Bernal Heights by @thisiscchs

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6 years ago

#blacklivesmatter by @thisiscchs

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6 years ago