Thrashbird  Thrashbird, is a Los Angeles-based street artist of unverified identity known for his billboard takeovers, stencils and wheatpastes. He is known widely in the street art community as a snitch, and for this reason works keeps his identity private. His satirical street art and subversive content combine clever humor with social observations to highlight issues including: media obsession, selfie culture and reliance on technology. in 2016, he was listed on KCRW's radio broadcast as being one of the most exciting contemporary street artists to watch. Thrashbird is known for putting his work in urban areas where his message can reach a large target audience. The artist became known with his image of the texting clone, a silhouette of a slender figure in a hoodie, glued to his phone and hunched to read the screen. When Blackberry Phones were popular, Thrashbird noticed this his friends were more interested in their phones than in the world around them. When the iPhone was released this trend got worse, inspiring Thrashbird to respond through his art. More recently, Thrashbird has expanded his city practice to the desert, exploring the energies of the natural landscape and abandoned built environments. Combining the topography of the desert and its neglected structures with the artist’s creativity, Thrashbird designs from the shapes and surfaces he encounters and transforms them into something playful and nostalgic. Awareness and activism are central themes in Thrashbird's work and the artist has presented in several symposia to talk about them. For example, in 2016 he was a featured guest at the LA Art Show speaking on a panel on the Commercialization of Street Art. His work has been included in street art auctions, including the 2016 Street Art and Contemporary Art sale at Julien's Auctions alongside works by Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Mr. Brainwash. STREET ART AS A SIGN OF PROTEST AND DISSENT -THRASHBIRD IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW== References ==