# Subway Ad Mashups Urban Pranks by 'Poster Boy' By Cecilia Biemann | Published 2008-11-13 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urban-pranksters-subway-ad-mashups-by-poster-boy References: [nymag](http://nymag.com/arts/art/profiles/50969/) & [flickr](http://www.flickr.com/photos/26296445@N05/) These New York subway ad mashups are the work of an anonymous 25 year-old urban prankster known as Poster Boy. The masterful subway art manipulator subversively rearranges swatches of color, text, and body parts on posters to change their entire meaning. It takes Poster boy ten minutes to perform a poster make-over, and the process usually takes place amid crowds of commuters waiting for their trains. The art school drop out’s work tends to disappear quickly at the hands of [MTA](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sony-and-olivia-rodrigo) employees, but updates are posted to his Flickr account. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.8/10 - Popularity: 41% | Activity: 4% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Modern](https://www.trendhunter.com/modern) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Subway Ad Mashups:** Poster Boy's unique approach to subway advertisements has created a new trend of subversive urban art. - **Crowd-based Art:** Poster Boy's ability to create art quickly in public spaces suggests that crowd-based art could become a new trend in the art world. - **Transgressive Art:** Poster Boy's manipulation of subway ads that change the meaning could spark a new trend of transgressive art that seeks to upend conventional messages. ### Where This Applies - **Advertising:** Poster Boy's methods offer insight into new ways to approach advertising campaigns and create attention-grabbing content - **Visual Art:** Poster Boy's work demonstrates the potential for new visual art movements to be inspired by transit infrastructure and public spaces. - **Digital Media:** Poster Boy's use of Flickr to update and showcase his work illustrates opportunities for artists to take advantage of social media platforms to market and distribute their work. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Knitted New York Subways](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/straphangers-lounge.md) - [Visual Museum Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/museum-campaign.md) - [Public Art Displays](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paul-anthony-smith.md) - [Vibrant Retro Transport Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/public-transport-safety.md) - [Enigmatic Graffiti Incidents](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/enigmatic-graffiti.md) - [Stay-Put Beauty Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/grippy-serum-primer.md) - [Singer-Themed Transit Takeovers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sony-and-olivia-rodrigo.md) - [Hot Dog Subway Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/follow-the-frank-line.md) - [Digital City-Inspired Art Works](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/grand-central-station.md)