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Darren Cullen (activist)

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Darren Cullen
Born
Darren Cullen
NationalityBritish/Irish
EducationGlasgow School of Art
Known forVisual art, satire
Websitespellingmistakescostlives.com

Darren Cullen (born 1983 in Leeds, UK) is an artist and political cartoonist[1] whose artwork satirises topics ranging from the insidious nature of advertising,[2] to the culpability of the Santa lie[3] and armed forces recruitment propaganda.[4]

In 2014 his anti-army recruitment comic Join the Army was added to the Victoria and Albert Museum permanent collection[5]

Art

In 2014 Cullen opened a shop installation called 'Pocket Money Loans' in Finsbury Park at Atom Gallery [6] A payday loan shop for kids, which appeared to give children an advance on their pocket money at 5000% interest. In 2015 he took the work to Banksy's Dismaland, opening the shop in a portacabin next to the children's play area.[7]

In 2015, alongside Veterans for Peace UK he released a series of films called Action Man: Battlefield Casualties [1]. Directed by Price James, featuring Matt Berry and written by Cullen, the films parody 90s Action Man toy adverts to draw attention to the possible outcomes of military service through three short 'adverts' for PTSD Action Man, Paralysed Action Man and Dead Action Man.[8] They were part of a campaign by Veterans for Peace UK to raise the British military age of recruitment from 16 to 18, in line with other European and Nato countries.[9]

Music

Darren Cullen played drums in the band Shitdisco from 2003-2009 and the band Age of Consent 2010-13.[10] While a member of Shitdisco, he worked with the Japanese idol group 80_pan to compose and arrange the song "crazy", released on the 2008 album "DISCO BABY".

Writing

Darren Cullen co-writes a monthly satirical 'horoscopes' column with Mark Tolson for The Skinny (magazine).[11]

References