Black Live Matter 

Dave Macdowell made this busy image, Black Lives Matter, with ink and markers on paper. This is not high art, but rather, a work with roots in the traditions of political cartooning and underground comics. The material itself—paper—is cheap and widely available, connecting the work to the world of mass media. Macdowell’s process has been to inscribe this humble material with a direct, unfiltered message. The drawing is dense and hyperactive, bursting with symbols drawn from the internet, political life, and pop culture. He's not only aiming at individual personalities, like Donald Trump, but also the entire system of consumption that supports these figures. What's especially interesting is Macdowell’s choice of such a direct, accessible medium. By sidestepping traditional "fine art" materials, he ensures his message can reach the broadest possible audience, short-circuiting the art world. And perhaps that's the point: to put this work in the hands of activists.