# Dystopic Pop Exhibits Ron English's Art at the Allouche Gallery Shows Warped Pop Culture Icons By Riley von Niessen | Published 2016-09-21 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pop-culture-icon References: [highsnobiety](http://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/09/20/ron-english-guernica-allouche-gallery) & [allouchegallery](http://allouchegallery.com/) Ron English, a Chicago-born artist who's known for his eerie take on pop culture icons, is set to get his own [solo show at the Allouche Gallery](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/just-like-heaven-art-exhibition) in New York for the first time. Throughout it, attendees can expect to see well-known figures in cartoon and more transformed into nightmarish versions of themselves. In addition, Ron English infuses them with high art styles -- especially that of Pablo Picasso. In doing so, he brings a contemporary view to them, specifically in a way that considers how the use of tradition in such a way can aim to destroy it. In one image that stands out, Ron English incorporates pop culture icons like the Simpsons and Charlie Brown, who are then whimsically disfigured and historically centered. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.6/10 - Popularity: 77% | Activity: 52% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Pop Culture Transformation:** Artists transforming well-known pop culture icons into distorted versions of themselves. - **Contemporary Art Infusion:** Incorporating high art styles, particularly that of Pablo Picasso, into pop art for a modern twist. - **Historic Reinterpretation:** Reimagining historical figures and events through a pop culture lens. ### Who This Affects Most - **Art:** Artists in the pop art genre can explore new creative avenues by combining traditional and contemporary styles. - **Entertainment:** The use of well-known pop culture figures in alternative and dark art forms can create a new sub-genre of entertainment. - **Advertising:** The use of distorted pop culture icons in advertising can create attention-grabbing campaigns and challenge traditional marketing strategies. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Surreal Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jeffrey-deitch-art-gallery.md) - [Provoking Graffiti Exhibits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/david-ruggeri.md) - [Appointment-Basis Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/no-more-tears-im-lovin-it.md) - [Bi-Culture-Inspired Art Exhibitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bicultureinspired-art-exhibition.md) - [Playful Modern Art Shows](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/brent-estabrook-debuts-storytime.md) - [Multi-Sensory Pop-Up Galleries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/popup-gallery.md) - [Graffiti Culture Art Exhibits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/1970s-graffiti-today.md) - [Deconstructed Pop Art NFTs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/matt-gondek.md) - [Apocalypse Post Pandemic Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/contemporary-urban-art.md)