Adbusting transforms existing advertisements through creative interventions, using solvents, stickers, and overlays to challenge corporate narratives and reclaim public space for alternative messages.
Adbusting represents a powerful form of guerrilla art that repurposes existing advertisements to deliver alternative messages and challenge dominant corporate narratives in public spaces. This subversive technique employs various methods, from simple sticker applications and overlays to sophisticated solvent-based transformations that alter the original imagery entirely. Artists like Vermibus have elevated adbusting to fine art level, using brushes and solvents to transform fashion model posters into ghostly, mummy-like figures reminiscent of Francis Bacon paintings. Berlin’s adbusting scene has produced particularly impactful interventions, including anonymous actions against Apple iPad advertisements that criticized the company’s content policies. The practice operates as both artistic expression and social commentary, encouraging critical thinking about consumer culture and corporate influence in urban environments. Through wit, satire, and visual disruption, adbusters reclaim public space temporarily, transforming passive advertising consumption into active dialogue about media, commercialism, and public ownership of visual culture in contemporary cities.
iPad Busting, Laser Murals, Russian Art Anarchists & Ivy Tags
Urban Art News | As you maybe noticed, I had no time to write during Christmas, but fortunately it’s over now. However, I collected the top urban art news I noticed in the last days, so I’m able to give you an detailed overview about what happened on the streets around the world while we had some more or less contemplative evenings with friends and family.
And here we go…
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Ludo’s Co-Branding - New Street Art Series
Adbusting | French street artist Ludo, who is also known as Nature’s Revenge and became famous by pasting paper artworks showing combinations of technology and organic live, recently started a new street art series called “Co-Branding” in Paris.
Because of “brands use crappy ultra aesthetic images that no one understands to sell their stuff” (Ludo) he had the idea to create “Nature’s Revenge” posters for Chanel, Dior, Calvin Klein, H&M, and other brands and takeover some advertising light-boxes on the streets of the French capital.
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Poster Boy: The War of Art
Last Saturday, Poster Boy hit London for the launch of his book “The War of Art” and to promote his defense fund for urban artists (K.A.R.A.T.E.) at Pure Evil Gallery. The book documents his ad-alterations in New York City’s subway and shows some interesting collaborations with other street artists. It’s highly interesting because it also introduces you to the politically background (keywords are ad-busting, public space and artistic freedom)…
The earnings will be used to support the “Kids Are Really Against The Empire” (K.A.R.A.T.E.) defense fund for urban artists. The people behind the idea of helping protect and defend artists working in public space are currently considering applying for 501(c)(3) status, which means to become a non-profit organisation in the U.S.A…
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Poster Boy: Kids Are Really Against The Empire!
Amazing, famous New York based urban artist and ad-alterer Poster Boy will be in London on Saturday for the “The War of Art” book launch at Pure Evil gallery! Additionally they will officially kick off a legal defense fund for artists called “Kids Are Really Against The Empire”…
Kids Are Rallying Against The Empire (K.A.R.A.T.E.) is a grass roots effort we hope to eventually turn into a non-profit organization. Sadly, when dealing with the legal system most artists don’t know, understand, or are intimidated into forgoing their rights. Artists are often poorly represented in court and do not have financial access to proper counsel. K.A.R.A.T.E. is committed to helping artists defend themselves in court for art-related crimes conceived in public space. (Poster Boy)
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BP Ad-Busting: Butt Phuck
The oil flows and flows and flows and no one seems able to do something. And also the pressure on the BP Group keeps within a limit…
For that reason, creative people started to organize their own protest against BP and its negligently offshore oil-drillings. There are a lot of BP fake press releases, ironic videos and other creative works in the internet. The most recent I found today are nice BP ad-busting illustrations by Imp Kerr & Associates, NYC.
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Apple iPad Ad-Busting
Since Apple is bigger than Microsoft - Yes, it’s true! If you don’t believe, read the newspaper. - and not any longer the small, design-focused computer and software forge, Steve Jobs’ company becomes more and more disliked. In Berlin, recently some ads for Apple’s new flagship, the iPad, were busted.
Steve Jobs offers iPad users freedom from porn. And yet the iPads’ measures will offer an unprecedented porn experience. An ad-busting from Berlin Mitte. (johannes-p-osterhoff.com)
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Urban Billboard Art - Street Art by Ox
Some days ago, I received an e-mail from French urban artist and adbuster Ox and I have to say, that I didn’t know him before, but really like his nice artworks! For years, Ox pastes great collages or minimalist shapes over billboards and in that way creates new, often colorful statements.
His billboard takeovers - he calls it “Affichages” - could be found all over France and in other European cities like London. To cut a long story short and to show you his great doings, here are some photos…
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Berlin Advertising Takeover Preparation
Some days ago, I told you about the spectacular adbusting by urban artists in Berlin. About 20 different urban artists took over so called citylight-posters with their artworks and made in this way a wide street art group-exhibition in public-space, called Nothing but Quality Street.
But how did they do that? In Berlin Mitte, Kreuzberg and Neukölln it’s almost impossible to do such a big action they did. Because of the high number of arson attacks by left-winged autonomists, there’s a very high police appearance.
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Berlin Advertising Takeover
My friend Martin from the online platform for contemporary urban art “LetterXIII” asked me to post some infos and photos about the urban art group-exhibition and advertising takeover “Nothing but…”, which took place in Berlin some days ago.
About 20 different urban artists took over so called citylight-posters with their artworks between Mitte and Neukölln.
Involved on this wonderful, temporary adbusting action were for example Evol, Bronco, Brad Downey, Filippo Minelli, Akim, Laurent Basset and many more!
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