From the Street to the Gallery: The Cult of Dick Chicken

Whether you love it or hate it, chances are if you live in North Brooklyn, you’ve seen the work of Dick Chicken, and probably have an opinion about it. A year ago, a sighting of a sloppily scribbled Dick Chicken tag, or a wheat-pasted image of a chicken with a phallus where its head should be, would have been a rare occurrence. But after a year or so of occasionally catching a glimpse of Dick Chicken on doorways and sidewalks, brick walls and bathroom stalls, Dick Chicken is everywhere—including a gallery. Friday night marked Dick Chicken’s first crossover show—a departure from the crude street art that made him famous—a solo exhibition at 3rd Ward.
Aside from the implicit draw of free alcohol, the small exhibition space was packed wall-to-wall with artists, neighbors and curious passersby, all anxious to see what Dick Chicken had to offer inside a gallery, given his distinctive on-the-street aesthetic: All of his work, whether a large-scale wheat-pasted print, a faux-advertisement taped to a construction wall or a simple spray-paint autograph, is accompanied by two tell-tale words, Dick Chicken—he is a master of self-promotion. The walls were lined with cardboard boxes, with the words “Dickchicken Nugglets” screenprinted onto the sides; rock n’ roll posters with band names replaced with Dick Chicken; a pyramid of soup cans labeled “Dick Chicken soup” a’ la Andy Warhol; and of course, dozens of paintings, drawings and collages of the iconic phallus-fowl that is his name sake.

“Dick Chicken is an artist of the moment, he’s absolutely everywhere,” said Nikki Bagli, director of marketing and events for 3rd Ward. In addition to inviting Dick Chicken to have a solo show, 3rd Ward also asked him to paint a mural on the outside of their new space on Metropolitan Avenue. “From a marketing perspective, he’s selling and branding himself. It’s a reflection of our culture and society, and he’s doing it in a really obvious way. With this show, he wanted an opportunity to show people what he’s capable of—that he’s not just a graffiti artist, he’s a fine artist too.”
Dick Chicken, whose real name and identity are kept a secret due to the illegality of his graffiti and street-art, was not at the opening, making the cultural buzz surrounding him all the louder, much like his predecessor, Poster Boy, who made a name for himself—or a pseudonym, rather— by slicing and scrambling mainstream advertisements in subway stations around the city. And like Poster Boy, Dick Chicken uses the street as his canvas, to criticize, comment on and draw attention to media, advertising and pop culture values. However, can his street-art sensibility translate into a gallery setting? Most visitors to the exhibit were underwhelmed, and unconvinced, and as the night wore on, the Dick Chicken-related banter between gallery-goers turned more and more sour.
“This guy has a presence all over the streets, and I came to see what else he had to offer,” said Travis Barker, a Bushwick resident who is familiar with Dick Chicken. “But this doesn’t resonate with me at all. I thought he’d have some sort of artistic or creative message behind all these spoofed advertisements, but it’s just regurgitating the same old main stream art scene. I was hoping for the depth to come out, but it’s nothing but a play on words. There’s no depth here. It’s a dick talking, but he isn’t saying anything. You can’t mistake movement for achievement.”
While some visitors found the exhibition to negate its own purpose; creating a commentary on mass media using traditional forms, without managing to subvert any sort of message, others were, nonetheless, surprised and impressed by Dick Chicken’s artistic versatility.
“I’m really impressed,” said MariAngel Gonzales, who wandered around the gallery taking photographs of the artwork. “I wasn’t expecting him to be so versatile and talented. It’s just someone who created a brand and he’s branding himself in a non-commercial way, but with commercial items, like boxes and soup cans. His message is: Everywhere you look, there will be Dick Chicken.”
Ok, but what exactly is Dick Chicken?
“It’s a take on consumerism,” said Ben Emerald, a friend of the artist. “It’s a take on pop culture’s fascination with sex and love, and America’s reliance on processed foods. It’s always been anti-corporate. He just wants people to see his work. Also, he’s a vegan.”
Emerald was promptly interrupted by a mutual friend.
“Uh, well actually he eats cheese now. And he might start eating bacon too.”
So much for Dick Chicken.