Foka Wolf is known for his biting but humorous social commentary among those who are familiar with Birmingham's street art scene. His politically and socially relevant parody advertisements are displayed on billboards, windows, and walls. For the first time, he will participate in a gallery exhibition with new work that aims to give voice to the voiceless. He discussed the reasons behind his decision in a BBC interview.
The city-based artist claimed he had chosen "just an offensive name" when working as an illustrator. His creations are displayed all over the UK and are shared even more widely online. The artist, who doesn't reveal his real identity, added, "And it stuck.".
The transition to subversive street posters began four to five years ago with a parody advertisement for penis enlargement that was picked up and circulated widely on social media.
After seeing how well his work was received, he realized he had the ability to draw attention to some social and political issues.
The artist continued, "Humour plays a crucial role.
"You can win them over with comedy if you can make them laugh and then make them reflect on their behavior later. ".
But his new project, which highlights the plight of disabled and autistic people trapped in the hospital system, is not comical.
He claimed that some "voiceless" patients had spent decades being detained.
The installation and related billboards, titled Why Are We Stuck In Hospital, were developed using research from the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the rights group Changing Our Lives.
The study discovered that there are currently about 2,000 autistic people or people with learning disabilities being held in specialized hospitals throughout England, with hundreds of them staying there for more than ten years.
The National Autistic Society claims that even though autism is not a mental health disorder, the Mental Health Act of 1983 is used to make the majority of detention decisions.
Foka Wolf said that some of the group's research "blew me away.".
"I couldn't believe it was the 21st century when they were telling me all these things about these people. ".
A BBC Panorama investigation in 2021 found that 100 individuals, including Tony Hickmott, had been detained for more than 20 years.
In order to represent how invisible patients are, Foka Wolf's installation will include an impossible maze with no beginning or end.
Obviously, a lot of the humor in my work is comedic, but because this is such a serious subject, I felt like I couldn't add any humor, so I made something that is very literal, the artist said.
In an effort to "spread it around," a theatrical component had also been added to the exhibition.
There are numerous statistics related to the problem, he continued, "but I wanted to add a human element to the installation.".
These are people's babies and children, and they are attempting to rescue them from an improbable situation. ".
The Ikon Gallery exhibition will also be promoted with a trail of billboards in Birmingham's downtown.
A "for sale" sign was recently placed outside Birmingham's City Hospital, among the artist's other recent creations.
He went on to say that the quote from outspoken activist and intellectual Noam Chomsky about the "standard technique of privatization" served as the inspiration for the piece.
The sign read, "Defund, make things fail, make people mad, you hand it over to private capital.".
The artist's work was also featured in a January campaign by the group Brandalism that targeted the auto industry's lobbying strategies on hundreds of billboards.
To coincide with the European Motor Show's 100th anniversary and take advantage of over 400 advertising spaces across 15 European cities and towns.
According to the artist, the campaign was a "big success" in drawing attention to the problem.
Toyota stated in response to criticism at the time that it had been working for decades to lessen its impact on the environment in areas such as greenhouse gases, air quality, water and material reduction, reuse and recycling, and biodiversity.
Despite the fact that his work is illegal, Foka Wolf frequently posts his posters during the day while donning a high-visibility jacket.
It's a great time in the morning around 10:30, he said. "No one has ever given me the side eye. ".
The artwork then takes on a life of its own online with more than 57,000 Instagram followers and 10,000 Twitter followers, he claimed.
It's amusing to see things come to life in the real world that had previously only existed in my head or in a sketchbook. ".
With individuals like Cold War Steve and comedian Joe Lycett breaking through on the national stage, Birmingham has recently experienced a "big push of creativity," according to the artist.
"I believe that everyone is emerging from their shell.
"Due to the confidence that is present, people are now proud to claim their locality. ".
A project called Why Are We Stuck in Hospital is being carried out by the University of Birmingham's School of Social Policy in collaboration with Changing Our Lives.
With a free event at The Exchange in Centenary sq\. on March 7, it will be presented at the Ikon Gallery in Brindley Place, Birmingham, from March 7 to March 19.
