Artistic Duo’s Clever & Witty Banners

Artistic duo Anna Gray and Ryan Wilson Paulsen use basic black text on white paper to convey their often comical messages relating to a wide variety of topics. The written works range from social commentary to self-reflective statements. The two-year-long 100 Posterworks project takes a straightforward black and white photography series with an equally simple concept, involving two deadpan subjects holding a banner, and manages to transform it into a really amusing collection of artistic reflection with a healthy dose of humor.

The subjects' blank stares truly enhance the quirkily comical aspect and underlying wittiness of the images. Like Buster Keaton, the married duo knows how to keep a straight face while putting a smile on ours. How can one refrain from grinning at an innocent baby snugly bundled up right under a “Before Corruption” banner?

Check out some of our favorites from the series, below. If the print is too small on your screen, hover your cursor over the image to read what's written on the sign(s).
















Anna Gray + Ryan Wilson Paulsen website
via [Visual-Poetry]

Pinar

Pinar Noorata is the Managing Editor at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, NY. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College and is an alumni of the Center for Arts Education’s Career Development Program in NYC. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching movies, reading, crafting, drawing, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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