Pop Art

We had a really talented artist on board who who gave us presentations on Cuba, music and art genres. Robin Ross has led a colourful life starting on pirate radio and ending with hanging out with urban Street artists all over the world.  The talk that led to this poem was about pop art, a genre I hadn't previously thought much of. 


A crowd of white folding chairs line up on the dance floor
Waiting in front of a giant cartoon face shouting "Listen up!"
The screen comes alive: real life writ large,
Found, altered images, screen printed,
The same image, slightly different each time,
Marilyn's multicoloured magnificence,
Each repetition a revelation.
Images reduced to dots Wham! Bam!
Popular culture, collaged kitsch,
Juxtaposed with irony, political statements
So detailed, so simple, so clever,
Each a jab, a right hook against convention,
A rewrite of accepted pop culture. 
You had me at the soup cans. 

© Copyright 2023. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved.

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