Pearl Jam Buenos Aires

Chuck Sperry and Santi Pozzi

22 x 29

Artist Edition of 100

4 colors on archival cream paper

Signed and Numbered (Chuck Sperry signed – Chuck Sperry and Santi Pozzi – plate signed on the back)

Sold Out – Thank You!

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We will be making a very limited release of Artist Edition posters, here, on Sunday, April 7, 2013 at a random time.

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When Pearl Jam asked me to make a poster for Buenos Aires, they knew my recent history in Argentina. I had recently visited Argentina to make a presentation about rock posters at the Trimarchi Design Conference, at the invitation of Santiago Pozzi, an artist who had worked together with the me at my studio as an intern for many months in 2012. I asked Pearl Jam if it would be possible to collaborate with Santiago Pozzi – and to introduce you to the great, new young talent, the Argentine rock poster artist Santi Pozzi – to make their Buenos Aires show poster. Pearl Jam loved the idea. It was a bit of an extension of the VS. idea (at my behest), but with the hand-written story of the poster printed on the back, which ingeniously distinguishes this series of posters from other posters for Pearl Jam.

After traveling to Argentina and meeting many of the artists there, I felt that Santiago Pozzi would have the local knowledge to work with me to make a very authentic poster for Pearl Jam’s concert in Buenos Aires. I felt Santi should generate the theme and idea for the poster, and asked him what he thought. He returned with this idea: Argentina’s local folk hero, Gauchito Gil, known by every Argentine from childhood, should be fighting a mutant soy bean monster from the genetically altered soy bean crops that have invaded Argentina’s farmland for years. In Argentina, South America’s bread-basket, the farmland is called the Pampas. And lately, the Pampas have been over-run by industrial soybean production, by monoculture, and that monoculture, industrial production is engineered by Monsanto Corporation, who overlords the use of genetically engineered seeds. You can read a New York Times article about genetically engineered soybean seed here.

This important issue and treatment of it, would resonate with the Argentine fans. They would immediately understand the anti-corporate motif, and this would mirror Pearl Jam’s opposition to corporate control – whether it is in the music we listen to, or the food we eat. The local folk hero, Gauchito Gil, who is like a Paul Bunyan figure in Argentine mythology, would be fighting for the freedom of Argentina from corporate control. Very Pearl Jam!

Santi drew Gauchito Gil and I drew the Soy Monster. I figured since I’m the Nord Americano, that made sense, and I Rat Finked him out, California-style. I’m very happy with the result, and the Supreme Court ruling, and all the press about Monsanto’s control of genetically engineered food made this a classic mix of rock poster and protest poster all wrapped in one.

As a note: Santi Pozzi printed all the show posters for Buenos Aires at Imprenta Chimango, his printing company in Buenos Aires. I printed all the posters for the Ten Club and for the Artist Edition release (with metallic blue-silver) which is offered here.

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We will be making a very limited release of Artist Edition posters, here, on Sunday, April 7, 2013 at a random time.