Skip to Content
Art

The Utility Boxes of iSYS

9:45 AM PDT on July 21, 2016

tumblr_oa6l9f3Aua1van7sto1_1280

It's easy to say that L.A. street artists like Plastic Jesus, Teachr, and a new one I recently discovered called "iSYS" are courting controversy to get their name out there, but I find them refreshing in an era of safe street art that ignores the political roots of graffiti. Yes, some of the messages are obvious and some of the artistry can feel forced, but at the very least these local artists and those like them around the world are making a strong statement and taking the streets back from the corporate interests who dominate the public sphere.

Apple's messages dominate the billboards of LA, but what do they do for the world? Their ads are about empowerment but really what they want is your money and your attention. They turn your data over the Feds, and in the case of Snowden they provided even more than what the government was asking for in their rush to cooperate. If there is going to be empowerment, it's going to come because of us, not because of how corporations want us to behave with their products.

tumblr_oa8dzlJpLA1van7sto1_1280

One thing the iPhone has done that is inarguably positive is help shine a much-needed light on police brutality. The ubiquitous camera phone mean the official story can't be a complete lie like in the past, and that's what I like about this street art campaign by iSYS. The images he chose are shocking and brutal, all while using the visual language of mass-market outdoor advertising.

tumblr_oa6lkdgCtQ1van7sto1_1280

The other utility boxes by this artists are eye-catching if not as powerful as the police murder images, but are still something that will break up the monotony of your standard grey utility box. What overall message this artist has for us I couldn't say for sure, perhaps something about how the dreams the world has versus its reality are very far apart, but you wouldn't know it if you trusted corporate messaging.

In any case, I applaud his use of the public space to make a political statement, something we've seen less and less of though the last few years, just when we need it most.

tumblr_oa8d5kiRhP1van7sto1_1280
iSiP019(1)
iSiP016

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

The Secret Motorcycle Gang History of Tijuana’s Best Fish Tacos

Open since 1991 and operated by one of the daughters of Tijuana's famous fish taco gem, Las 4 Hermanas. The fish tacos at Alicia's are so delicious that they are charged to a running tab since most people always order more than they thought they wanted. But the portraits of old bikers on the restaurant's walls tell a deeper story.

June 8, 2023

Tasting Your Way Through Tijuana’s Vastly Underrated Local Cheese Scene and Where to Find It to Bring Back Home 

Great cheeses do not only come from Europe. It's time to shine a light on the history and wide variety of cheeses made locally with raw milk in Baja and available in Tijuana, from a jocoque reminiscent of labneh to hard, chipotle-infused Real del Castillo.

June 8, 2023

Spot Check: A Chilled 40 Oz. With Caviar-Topped Tamales at a Fine-Dining Restaurant In Downtown

Also, high school students get $2 Baja tacos all summer at a local chain and a thinly sliced al pastor is making its way down the 110 Freeway.

June 8, 2023

Social Distortion Frontman and Orange County Punk Icon Mike Ness Diagnosed with Stage One Cancer

Notes of support immediately started to pour in from fans, including positive words from L.A.'s Bad Religion and Mexico's División Minuscula.

June 8, 2023

How the Caesar Salad’s Tijuana Origins Became the Border City’s Secret Legacy

The Caesar salad, created in Tijuana by an Italian immigrant during Prohibition in the United States, represents hope that a day’s work could eventually result in your own legacy. As Javier Plascencia, the chef and owner of Caesar's Hotel, tells L.A. TACO, the Caesar salad became an icon of Tijuana "by accident." To this day, the restaurant makes an average of 550 tableside salads every day.

June 7, 2023
See all posts