There are only a handful of punk logos that have stood the test of time, and they’re almost universally recognized: Black Flag’s bars, Misfits’ Crimson Ghost and Crass’ anti-authority cross.
Crass Artist’s Subversive Zine Work Takes Over San Francisco Center for the Book
‘David King Publications 1977-2019.’ (Courtesy of San Francisco Center for the Book)
The last was designed by David King, a British experimental artist, graphic designer and musician. He moved from England to New York City in 1977, before relocating to San Francisco three years later. Here, he made art and zines, performed in bands (including Brain Rust) and attended the San Francisco Art Institute. King died in 2019 at the age of 71, but left a wealth of subversive, era-defining work behind him.
A selection of that work is currently on display at the San Francisco Center for the Book. David King Publications 1977-2019 focuses on the artist’s zine work and, to a lesser degree, his show flyers. King’s work, as curated by Luca Antonucci and Matt Borruso, is consistently imposing, provocative and caustically humorous. Many of his designs also clearly reflect the moment each piece was made. His 1980s work, in particular, makes a mockery of the leaders of the day, including Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II. (One doctored image of the Queen kicking a baby into a manhole is as funny as it is jarring.)
There is, of course, a Crass component within the exhibit. Original stencils hang starkly in frames. One comic book-style panel has the band logo projected into the night sky, like the Bat Signal. Sitting tantalizingly in a display case is even a copy of Christ’s Reality Asylum, the 1977 pamphlet written by Crass drummer Penny Rimbaud that inspired the very first use of the now-legendary anti-authority symbol.
Other ephemera from King’s life includes home photos (of himself, Crass singer Steve Ignorant and a series of masked figures) and book covers designed by the artist, including the sci-fi paperback Non-Stop by Brian Aldiss. There are a couple of curious collages too — one now-ironic piece titled 21st Century Lower Manhattan, depicts the New York skyline awash with World Trade Center towers. (A demonstration that even the sharpest social critics can’t predict everything.)
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King was prolific to a point that only the hugest of exhibitions could ever capture the breadth of what he created in his lifetime. David King Publications 1977-2019 can only act as a sort of tasting menu — but oh, what a delicious introduction it is.
‘David King Publications 1977-2019’ is on display now through Dec. 22, 2024 at San Francisco Center for the Book (375 Rhode Island St.). The exhibition’s opening party is on Oct. 25, 2024 at 6 p.m.
An accompanying book, ‘David King Publications 1977–2019’ will be available in November via Colpa Press and San Francisco Center for the Book.
