Ben Frost encourages us to "skip ads" with his tongue-in-cheek artworks that laugh at capitalism

Famed for painting over iconic and medical packaging, from McDonald’s to Dior, Australian artist Ben Frost’s work forces us to look at our modern capitalist society, and our attitudes towards branding, advertisements and blasé approach to medications. Today, he takes a new approach, moving onto canvases, sculptures and experimental work.

You will be able to see some of his latest work at a new exhibition, SKIP A.D., at London's StolenSpace gallery from 2 June until 1 July 2017. The title for the show is an instantly recognisable phrase, one which we click past everyday. Frost invites us to attempt to ‘Skip Ad’; to look past the advertising which engulfs our everyday lives and view it from his twisted perspective.

"Every time I watch a streaming video on the internet, I'm forced to sit through an advertisement at the beginning of each video. Seeing the little 'SKIP AD' button made me consider that a big part of our engagement with society is via a never-ending series of advertisements. Sometimes I wish we could just skip the entire millennium – SKIP A.D."

By subverting mainstream iconography from the worlds of advertising, entertainment and politics, he creates a visual framework that is bold, confronting and often controversial. His imagery often shows hentai inspired girls, highlighting the hyper-sexualisation which overwhelms modern advertising. Children's characters appear sexualised, Freddy Krueger reigns large over an American flag, In SKIP A.D.’ Frost welcomes the viewer into his disturbing American Dream.

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