On my routine commute from Brooklyn’s Carroll Street subway station to Times Square in 2005, I spent a lot of time walking through and staring at subway advertisements. Images of sexy beers and goofy reality shows became an integral part of my day. The average American is exposed to over 3,000 ads everyday and these images are increasingly encroaching on our public spaces. This is not a requisite of capitalism, and it’s our right to walk outside without being informed about the latest alcoholic beverage, fruity shampoo, or Hollywood movie. Many citizens have responded to advertising posters with the gusto of grade school disobedience. Their weapon: the pen. Their mark: the scribbled moustache. But why stop there? What’s the hurry? Project Moustache seeks to subvert outdoor advertising with the distilled mark of the people: a big, burly, well-drawn moustache. Featured in the exhibit Skinless Capital: Neoliberalism and Resistance at OPENSOURCE Gallery in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, 2005.
