Artist Interview: Winston Tseng – StreetArtNews

Matthew A. Eller: Immediately I’m fortunate sufficient to take a seat down and chat with Winston Tseng, the elusive satirical avenue artist? Satirical wheat paste artist? How would you describe your self?

Winston Tseng: Yeah, I believe you stated it effectively, a “satirical avenue artist”. In my work I like to make use of manufacturers and promoting to speak societal points, hopefully bringing some surprising consideration to them in our every day lives.

Matthew A. Eller: You’re largely identified for utilizing acquainted pictures into your work which with no re-assessment are lifeless ringers for actual commercials. For instance your current Sesame Road marketing campaign introduced consideration to local weather change. Are you able to inform me a bit of bit about that?

Winston Tseng: Properly, the thought for that marketing campaign got here from all of the actually bleak headlines and tales we see on a regular basis concerning the local weather. We’re always inundated, and it felt like we’re getting a bit numb to it. So I assumed, “Okay, how do I talk this sense of urgency in a method that’ll seize folks’s consideration?” Framing it as if we’re going to show little youngsters concerning the apocalypse or mass extinction, I assumed was each humorous and alarming.

Matthew A. Eller: And so how mad did Sesame Road get at you?

Winston Tseng: I really don’t know. I’m certain they’re conscious of it, they reported my posts to Instagram to have them taken down. However I didn’t hear straight from them, which I respect.

Matthew A. Eller: And to be clear, you don’t have anything in opposition to Sesame Road? You had been simply utilizing them as a conduit to get your level throughout about local weather change?

Winston Tseng: Precisely, they’re only a automobile. A beloved model that individuals acknowledge. I felt the contradiction of utilizing Sesame Road to ship this type of doomsday messaging can be actually efficient. 

Matthew A. Eller: It additionally has for me this complete thought as effectively of how now kids are advised what they’ll study at what age. Was this in your thought course of in any respect?

Winston Tseng: Completely. Society all the time has “guidelines” about what’s applicable for kids and what isn’t. And I used to be taking part in with these norms, not as a result of I really wish to educate kids concerning the finish of the world, however to impress the adults. 

What wasn’t my intention in any respect was for it to be seen so politically, that was a shock. My timing occurred to coincide with the tradition wars of what colleges ought to educate, conservatives concentrating on Sesame Road, and liberals supposedly “grooming” youngsters. So it was a little bit of an ideal storm. I believe that’s why it went viral and bought a lot consideration, however these interpretations weren’t a part of my thought course of.

Matthew A. Eller: Earlier than we go any additional, since nobody actually is aware of something about you, are you able to simply give me a bit of background about your self?

Winston Tseng: Certain. So I labored for a very long time solely within the skateboard business, about 10 years. 

Matthew A. Eller: Doing what?

Winston Tseng: Doing the paintings for boards, t-shirts, attire, all that stuff…

Matthew A. Eller: Any manufacturers I might know?

Winston Tseng: A number of totally different ones, however primarily I used to be the artwork director for Enjoi. I designed a whole lot of boards and graphics. It’s actually the one illustration fashion I understand how to work in…

Matthew A. Eller: Oh, I can completely see it now! I really like that panda! Why did you permit? Had you stated all the pieces you wished to say within the skateboard business and wished to maneuver your fashion right into a extra political focus? 

Winston Tseng: That’s about proper. After doing it for thus lengthy, I simply bought burned out and type of ran out of concepts in that house. Plus as I bought a bit of older there have been totally different concepts and instructions I wished to take my work.

Matthew A. Eller: So that you principally had each skater youngsters dream job and simply bought sick of it (Laughing). 

Winston Tseng: Just about (Laughing). Rising up I used to be obsessive about skating and the paintings on boards. It was my dream job, I used to be tremendous fortunate to get it, till at some point it was not my dream job… and I went from that to doing extra easy, branding and advertising artistic work.

That’s how my work developed into what it’s right this moment. I see it as a mash-up of the provocative and humorous nature of skateboard graphics, with the visible fashion of promoting and branding.

Matthew A. Eller: Let’s focus on your present marketing campaign with Coke & Pepsi, and McDonald’s & Burger King. Let’s begin with Coke and Pepsi. 

Winston Tseng: The concept behind this marketing campaign was fairly easy: the very fact is that Coke and Pepsi are identified to be the 2 largest plastic polluting companies on the earth. That’s fucked up, and I assumed it will be enjoyable to carry some consideration to it.

Matthew A. Eller: So as soon as once more to be clear earlier than you end. It’s not the product within the bottles that’s the problem right here, you’re attempting to carry consideration to the bottles themselves. It’s not that you just hate Coke or Pepsi? 

Winston Tseng: In no way, I’ve had my justifiable share of Coke and Pepsi in my life. My good friend Gavin is definitely the one which advised me about it, I had no thought and was stunned to study it. Such as you stated, it’s nothing in opposition to the precise drinks, they simply most likely don’t should be producing this a lot plastic. 

Matthew A. Eller: Proper. So once more, simply because folks see your satirical advertisements after which they straight away suppose that you just clearly don’t just like the company itself. However on this case it’s all concerning the packaging. Equally, you concurrently are doing one other related marketing campaign about Burger King. So what are they doing mistaken? 

Winston Tseng: Properly, as I used to be researching about Coke and Pepsi, I realized about how horrible McDonald’s and Burger King packaging is simply too. In these cardboard containers, the fry containers, the wrappers, they’ve these “endlessly chemical compounds” that leach into meals and it’s actually dangerous for our well being and the atmosphere typically. What these companies are getting away with simply appears so loopy, there’s no actual accountability.

It’s disturbing, however to be trustworthy a variety of it for me is simply the artistic enjoyable in taking part in off the historical past of the cola wars and the burger wars and the rivalries between these firms. The considered seeing a Coke advert speaking shit about Pepsi, and vice versa, is simply humorous to me. So I hope folks see it by that lens of satire and never simply pure anger or preachiness. As a result of that’s positively not how I’m attempting to come back throughout in my work. 

Matthew A. Eller: How lengthy do these campaigns often final on the streets?

Winston Tseng: More often than not, not very lengthy in any respect. They get taken down fairly shortly, inside days. Generally randomly they’ll final for weeks, however that’s uncommon. It comes with the territory. We’ll see if the posters from right this moment last more. 

Matthew A. Eller: Okay, precise final questions…You’ve by no means achieved an interview or allowed anyone to {photograph} you. Why did you wish to discuss to me? What would you like folks to know? Why now?

Winston Tseng: No particular motive. We’ve identified one another for some time now however by no means met in individual, and I actually respect what you do as a photographer. And clearly, Streetartnews is a good website. I simply thought it will be enjoyable, and it was! 

Matthew A. Eller: Properly thanks a lot for spending the afternoon with me wheatpasting and chatting! Please comply with @winstontseng & myself @elleresqphoto on instagram for future details about all one of the best avenue artwork.  

Additionally keep tuned for details about learn how to win a signed Winston Tseng print.  These have NEVER been accessible on the market!!

All Picture’s & Textual content Copyright 2023 Matthew A. Eller.  Observe me on Instagram @elleresqphoto.