Kim Jong Un Dead: Zombified Edition

'Kim Jong Un: Zombified Edition,' Mixed Media by XVALA

From the Pandemic Collection: Series #5
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, suddenly disappeared from public view and was thought by many to have met his end. News sources openly speculated that he might be dead. The Glorious Leader did re-appear in time but the world still has no information about his whereabouts in the interim, and we all know that in 2020, anything is possible. Even Kim Jong Un-dead." -- XVALA

XVALA's art illuminates the hidden fallout spawned from our high tech Internet age. His 'Fear Google' campaign exposed the decay of privacy and 'No Delete' used hacked nude celebrity photos to highlight loss of control over personal information. The artist has worked with trash from the homes of Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and others, as well as dirt from the graves of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. The dirt appears in the New World Order collection as part of a pyramidal, 3D printed, living ant farm, a symbol of the surveillance and conformity the digital state forces on users.

XVALA exposes a blurring between public and private information while supporting privacy, freedom of speech, and content ownership. His Meme Ranch project addresses a theft of both freedom of information and freedom of expression by governments and tech giants.

XVALA is often compared to Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, and Richard Prince. His street art offers satirical commentary on other artists, including Banksy.