Resisting Subversion of Subversive Resistance
ProPositions toWarDs urban (r)Evolution
marc DE Jong, Paul J. kalEmba,
van thanh ruDD & tom sEvil
Opening Date : 6th March

‘No, painting is not done to decorate apartments, it is an instrument of war.’
- Pablo Picasso, 1945
Resisting Subversion of Subversive Resistance features the works and collaborations of four contemporary arts-activists. Romantic illusions of freedom fighters
aside, serious business meets tongue-in-cheek as a homegrown r/evolution
through urban edibles and the bicycle-peddling critical masses meet
conscious consumption and political awareness.
The Twentieth Century saw exponential advancement in many areas of
human activity. The image was by no means excluded from this refinement.
The total war of World War II saw not only mechanised militarism devastate
European civilization but the Third Reich, and the allies alike, bred the
image for a new purpose. The manipulation of desire and fear was refined
and exploited through the image, with propaganda aiming for nothing
short of changing the opinions, and thus the actions, of entire nations.
Enter the Twenty-First Century. Commercial advertising carries on this
imaging tradition into this decade, promising a veritable Shangri-La of
sensual pleasure, luxury and convenience, tied firmly to a treadmill of
competitive individualism. Meanwhile, headlines scream climate change,
peak oil, environmental collapse, over consumption, finite resources…
the new ideas now firmly in the zeitgeist. At face value, it seems society is
economy versus a sustainable future.
Resisting Subversion of Subversive Resistance seeks to defy this manipulation of fear
and desire, employing a combination of loose, scale model propositions
with the graphic image – where WWII-style propaganda meets re-
advertising, promoting consumer awareness and sustainable models via
DIY culture. The artists create dialogues with the notations of propaganda
and resistance though subverting emblematic symbology and imagery of
contemporary art, advertising, politics and their concurrent histories.

Tom Sevil (AKA Civil) is a community graphic designer and
artist. Since completing a Bachelor of Environmental Science
in 1999, he has gone on to become involved in the independent
media and publishing community. Tom has worked as a graphic
designer for many political and community organisations
including 3CR, Seeds of Dissent Calendars, The Big Issue,
Voiceworks Magazine, The Paper, Melbourne Indymedia, and
Stolenwealth Games. His stencil work has been featured in
Melbourne Stencil Art Capital, the film Rash, as a feature artist
in Melbourne Stencil Festival, and most recently as part of the
London Cans Festival. Tom is one half of Breakdown Press.

Paul J. Kalemba (AKA thinblackline) is an urban edible
(r)evolutionary and sustainability activist who takes a
renaissance approach to art. Prior to recently completing a
Master in Visual Art at the VCA, Kalemba’s career highlights
include: The National Print Symposium at the National Gallery
of Australia, 2004,; co-directing Alleys Not Telleys pubic space
reclamation/multi-arts festivals, 2001-2004; Eyes For Other
Skies Travelling Animation Festival, ACMI/South Korea; and
creating propaganda and projections for the tree planting/reveg
Tranceplant Festivals 2001-2005. Kalemba’s work also
features in many independent publications amongst a prolific CV
of community, public and white cube rah rah.

Van Thanh Rudd has been exhibiting since growing up on
Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Moving to Melbourne in 1995,
his work has increasingly attempted to address issues surrounding
social justice. He researched socio-economic systems and the role
of art and politics by travelling to countries such as Vietnam,
Cuba, Chile and France in 2005. One of his major projects,
The Carriers Project (2004-2008), involved carrying his
paintings on foot through public and private spaces in Australia’s
major cities. He has taken part in major social actions such as the
Anti-G20 Rally (2006), The Stolenwealth Games (2006),
Industrial Relations Rallies (2005) and Free The Refugees
Protests (2004). Current and ongoing works include the
Residencies of Thought Project, taking place in The White House,
Washington and the Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Marc de Jong (AKA marcsta) is one of Melbourne’s most
notable illegal street artists. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Art
at VCA. Prior to that, he studied under Howard Arkley at the
Prahran College of TAFE. He has held over 15 solo exhibitions
and was a finalist in the Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New
South Wales and in the 2008 Fleurieu Biennale. He also
featured in the April-June issue of Australian Art Collector
magazine. His work is held in various collections throughout
Australia, including National Gallery of Australia, Ballarat
Fine Art Gallery, Monash University and Artbank. His work
has also featured in Australian Art Collector and on the cover
of Adbusters.

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