Punk Art Surrealist Winston Smith, a master of “hand-carved” collage, has been crafting his thought-provoking art since the 1970’s. After being abroad for six years, Winston returned to America and was astonished by the complacency the American public exhibited towards the corporate domination in their society.  Winston began taking “safe” images from magazines and combining them to create politically charged works of art that challenge the viewer to confront incongruities and political paradoxes of modern society.

Smith first became known (and later beloved) for his collaborations with punk legends Dead Kennedys and his numerous album covers, inserts and flyers for the band in their formative years.  His technique of cutting out by hand and gluing each individual element has inspired a generation of artists.

In 1981, his political shock piece, Idol (pictured above – originally conceived in 1977) brazenly adorned the Dead Kennedys album, In God We Trust, Inc.  That album, banned in England and condemned by the American religious right, landed Smith and Dead Kennedys a permanent spot in the punk culture “Hall of Shame.”