The .01%

Don't be shy, give those images a click

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Don't be shy, give those images a click 〰️

A cartoon man saying “What is it this time? My maleness? My Anglo-Saxoness? My Princetoness? My lawyerness?” painted on a red vintage stock certificate..
A cartoon man saying “Stop screaming, you sound like a psychopath” and another man responding “We’re in New York City… if you’re not screaming you ARE a psychopath” painted on a red vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I love that you think this is expensive” painted on a red vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “18: Can I buy a bottle of wine? USA: No, that’s illegal and irresponsible. 18: Can I go into $40,000 of debt for education? USA: We encourage it” painted on a red vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man and woman saying “Oh, the weather is LOVELY? Time to go be reckless with my wallet, liver, phone, dignity etc.” painted on a red vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I can’t wait until I’m financially able to afford who I really am” painted on a tan vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “Going to a plastic surgeon and just getting whatever they assume I’m there for” painted on a tan vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “My understanding of the stock market is still based on Trading Places” painted on a tan vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I wanna be 14 again and ruin my life differently… I have new ideas” painted on a tan vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Age 9: worried about people from the internet finding me in real life. Now: worried about people from real life finding me on the internet” painted on a tan vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I need something that’s more than coffee but less than cocaine” painted on a yellow vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “Look at what you did to the English language. Now someone can say ‘I’m literally dying,’ and everyone thinks they’re having an amazing time” painted on an orange vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man talking on the phone saying “I wish there was an adderall and xanax combo” and the response “Dude, that’s called being sober” painted on an orange vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “Being alive is so fucking expensive” painted on an orange vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “I’m getting my makeup done. When it’s finished I’m like… there she is… the baddest bitch ever oh my god boo what’s good I missed you” painted on an orange vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Looking back on all the money I spent last year like… Where the fuck did it all go??? Do I have a secret life…” painted on a green vintage stock certificate. "
A cartoon woman saying “I have mixed feelings about uptown. Like the Upper West Side inspired me to follow my dreams but the Upper East Side inspires me to divorce well” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I see your hobbies are: Drinking, Smoking Weed, And All Types of ill Shit” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “Idea: Shazam but it actually tells me what I’m crying about” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man and woman saying “Waking up: Oh wow, I’m actually not that hungover. 1 hour later: Why is the sun so loud?” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “I’m a democratic socialist working for a major investment bank profiting off capitalism. Everyday is an identity crisis for me” painted on a brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I dislike money” painted on a brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “If he was 10 years older he would be perfect for me. He’s just too young… and I’m too expensive” painted on a brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I have to return some video tapes” painted on a brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I’m glad I learned about parallelograms instead of how to do taxes. It’s really come in handy this parallelogram season” painted on a brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “If you line up all of your ex-lovers in a row, you can literally see the flow chart of your mental illness” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying to a man “The only orgasm you ever gave me was when you signed the divorce papers” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I just did my own taxes. I should be in jail by Friday” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “He’s good in bed but bad in life” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “You’re not rich until you can fly in a private plane without posting about it” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “‘Did you eat yet?’ has to be one of the most romantic questions ever” painted on a pink vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman on the phone saying “Are those guys missionaries?” with the response “No, they’re just in finance” painted on a pink vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “All my hookups have roman numerals at the end of their names” painted on a pink vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Welcome to adulthood. Where you have the time to do what you want or you have the money to do what you want. Never both” painted on a pink vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “I just want someone to play with my hair for the rest of my life. And have a massive dick. And a billion dollars. Is that too much to ask?” painted on a pink vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Stuck between I wanna get my shit together and life’s too short so fuck it ima do whatever” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “My dad just texted ‘can you give me a call,’ so either he wants to say hi or my entire family is dead. Could be both” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “I can remember almost every lyric to every 90s song but I can’t remember why the fuck I just walked into the copy room” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Yes of course I got your text. I’m just ignoring it. Don’t make it weird” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Check if your cocaine is good. Mix it with vinegar. If it makes a volcano, it’s baking soda. If not, your drugs are ruined. Don’t do drugs. Drugs are bad” painted on a green vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “‘We need to talk later.’ First of all, I have anxiety. Tell me now” painted on a light brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “I’ve decided that I want a wedding, just not a marriage” painted on a light brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “My resume is really just a list of shit I hope I never have to do again” painted on a light brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Google Maps: Don’t tell me to ‘head west’ down a road. I don’t know what ‘west’ is. I’m not a sea captain” painted on a light brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying to a man “You mean we have to fly on a plane with other people?” painted on a light brown vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Love is unconditional. Love is, ‘I know you’re a fucking psycho maniac but I’m willing to work with that.’” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon woman saying “If overthinking burned calories I’d be dead” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Have you sorted a banking job? ‘I don’t think I want to do finance. I want to help people.’ You can do that in a bank - it’s called private wealth management!” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man and woman saying “New York is for rich people who hate themselves and LA is for rich people who are obsessed with themselves” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.
A cartoon man saying “Money can’t buy friends, but it can afford a better class of enemy” painted on a blue vintage stock certificate.

ABOUT

The ‘0.01%’ series, exhibited as part of the Whitney biennial “Debfair” in 2016, explores themes of ownership by portraying the often excessive and myopic outlook of corporations and societal definitions of “success”. By appropriating mass-produced stock certificates of now defunct companies (parodying the very industry and culture they represent), Simmons highlights the acute tension between competing economic ideologies - extreme self- indulgence versus social enterprise.

DIMENSIONS: 8.5(h) x 11(w)
MEDIUM: Painting, Drawing and Mixed Media on Vintage Stock Certificates
YEAR: 2014 - 2021

The characters embody a tension between disillusionment and exuberance, eye-rolling and open longing; managing to appear at once vulnerable and completely over it. They ride the wave of the zeitgeist - the title recalls a plethora of events from the Occupy Wall Street movement to the 2008 crash and, more recently, the populist policies of Bernie Sanders - yet serve as a sort of 'memento mori,' a reminder of the ephemeral nature of all things; everything must end. They all, nevertheless, recall the enduring themes of money, morality, and gender-biased culture.

FAQs

  • YES - I can’t draw / paint like a MACHINE. Plus, I don’t mess around with replicas - the whole point of this series is to bring authenticity and whimsy by combining the old (aka - the stock certificate) with the new (aka - my illustration / screen print) and have each piece be one of a kind. So, to answer your question in plain terms, yes, they are authentic stock certificates, not some cheap imitation.

  • Look at who's diving into the rabbit hole of financial relics! A vintage stock certificate is like a piece of art from the era of quill pens and ink blots. It’s essentially a fancy piece of paper, adorned with intricate designs and official-looking stamps, proclaiming your ownership of a share in a long-gone company. While all trading is now digitized, these certificates have become a symbol of nostalgia and are a tangible connection to a bygone era of investing. It's a sassy contradiction to our digital age, where everything is reduced to pixels on a screen, and a bold reminder that tangible objects still hold power and meaning in an intangible world : )

  • Absolutely. I love working on custom projects - especially if there is a brand that has emotional relevance to you or a family member. There’s a 90% chance I can find a vintage stock certificate for what you have in mind, assuming it was (or currently is) a publicly traded company.