&ldquo;Street art has this rebellious punk rock attitude that I love,&rdquo; Rich Simmons sprays it loud. When he isn&rsquo;t painting images of superheroes and other familiar figures on walls and the sides of buildings, he&rsquo;s using reclaimed billboards to bring the experience of the street into the gallery. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a case of doing it for the love of painting, giving people something on a wall to enjoy who wouldn&rsquo;t normally experience art or go to galleries or museums,&rdquo; he explains. &ldquo;There is also a huge adrenaline rush painting out on the street, whether it&rsquo;s doing it on a legally commissioned wall or running around at 6 AM with a spray can and some stencils or a bucket of paste and some posters.&rdquo;Simmons approaches sexuality in a way that deviates from the cultural norm. Where people usually see sexy Victoria&rsquo;s Secret ads, he paints &lsquo;50s pin-up girls. &ldquo;I enjoy the aesthetic of &lsquo;50s pin up girls and old advertising. There is a boldness to it, a simplicity and an innocence,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Everything is so hyper sexualised nowadays and you see pop stars rolling around on stage in nothing more than a thong and it takes all of the mystery out of it. Pin up girls can use a flash of stockings to achieve that tease and it makes you use your imagination more.&rdquo;<img class="img1-thumbnail" src="http://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/1393/235162/599415446c36e/page201502876994.jpg"" owidth=532 oheight=755" style="height:710px; margin:5px; position:relative; width:500px" />These seductive images aren&rsquo;t the only reason why people are drawn to his work. Much of his art features culturally relevant figures&mdash;whether they&rsquo;re superheroes or Will and Kate depicted as Sid and Nancy&mdash;and the use of these iconic images immediately involves the audience. &ldquo;Using an iconic character like Batman who people instantly recognize forms the emotional engagement instantly and you don&rsquo;t have to spend time introducing a new character and telling their story before the viewer can then delve deeper into the piece&rsquo;s meaning and story.&rdquo; He understands the power behind rooting his work in popular culture. &ldquo;You can also use this familiarity to add the shock value by putting them in a situation you&rsquo;d never expect to see, like when I painted Batman kissing Superman,&rdquo; he says, of one of his most well known street art pieces that caused controversy by making a pro-gay statement with icons from our childhood. &ldquo;The fact that it was those characters and not just two random guys gave the piece that shock value and engages with more people.&rdquo;Simmons acknowledges the political nature of his work and of street art in general. &ldquo;With the public element of street art and how large an audience can be who see it, I feel there is a responsibility on the artist to create something that has a message and the power to stop people and make them look. If people just ignore it and walk past then I haven&rsquo;t done my job properly.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Pop Provocateur

English

Spanish(español)

Bengali(বাঙালি)

Gujarati(ગુજરાતી)

Hindi(हिन्दी)

Malayalam(മലയാളം)

Tamil(தமிழ்)

Telugu(తెలుగు)

Inked

Leaving Her Mark

A Phoenix Rising

A Flower Growing In Concrete

STORYTELLING IS EVERYTHING

PRAY FOR YG

SNITCHERY

REDEMPTION SONG

SUECO

JESS MASCETTI

JULY JONES

Download your favorite titles and read them offline, anytime and anywhere

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines and newspapers from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from {{magCount}} best-selling international titles.

Name

Please fill out this form if you need any help regarding publishing your content on Magzter

Since we launched, Magzter has been committed to partnering with global organizations to provide the greatest possible newsstand technology & service to our customers. Whether you are looking to offer magazine subscriptions to your customer database or just want to learn more, Magzter is committed to helping your business grow. To find out more, please fill out the questionnaire below: