Surrealism, Social Realism and Satire in the Work of Gee Vaucher

This presentation explores how the designs that Gee Vaucher produced in the 1970s-80s incorporated Surrealist and Social Realist elements, also using satirical humour to undermine the subject being represented. Producing work for commercial magazines, such as The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Ebony, it shows how Vaucher’s treatment of seemingly innocuous subjects, such as celebrity culture or the music industry were as subject to her critical lens as her more overtly political work. It explores how her self-produced publication, International Anthem, provided her with a vehicle for her more radical work, much of which formed the basis for her designs for the anarcho-punk band and collective, Crass (1977-84). It touches upon her more introspective period in the 1990s, before showing how her work has become more overtly politicised again in the 2000s-2010s when she took on a number of collaborative projects, some of which have been organised by her friend and collaborator, Banksy.