Obama Joker artist unmasked: A fellow Chicagoan

 

When cryptic posters portraying President Obama as the Joker from "Batman" began popping up around Los Angeles and other cities, the question many asked was, Who is behind the image?

Was it an ultra-conservative grassroots group or a disgruntled street artist going against the grain?

Nope, it turns out, just a 20-year-old college student from Chicago.

Bored during his winter school break, Firas Alkhateeb, a senior history major at the University of Illinois, crafted the picture of Obama with the recognizable clown makeup using Adobe's Photoshop software.

Alkhateeb had been tinkering with the program to improve the looks of photos he had taken on his clunky Kodak camera. The Joker project was his grandest undertaking yet. Using a tutorial he'd found online about how to "Jokerize" portraits, he downloaded the October 23 Time Magazine cover of Obama and began digitally painting over it.

Four or five hours later, he happily had his product.

On Jan. 18, Alkhateeb uploaded the image to photo-sharing site Flickr (shown at right). Over the next two months, he amassed just a couple thousand hits, he said.

Then the counter exploded after a still-anonymous rogue famously found his image, digitally removed the references to Time Magazine, captioned the picture with the word "socialism" and hung printed copies around L.A., making headlines.

Alkhateeb's original Flickr page surpassed 20,000 views. The Times found his Flickr site last week thanks to a tip left by a loyal reader of The Ticket. By Friday, the page had been taken down.

On Alkhateeb's page, a manipulated image condemning fellow Chicagoan and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (captioned "epic fail") was mixed in with parodies of the "Guitar Hero" game franchises -- dubbed Quran Hero -- and of Napoleon riding a motorcycle (pictured after the jump).

Flickr had removed the Joker image due to copyright-infringement concerns, Alkhateeb says the company told him in an e-mail. A Flickr spokeswoman declined to comment due to a company policy that bars discussing inquiries about individual users.

Alkhateeb says he wasn't actively trying to cover his tracks, but he did want to lay low. He initially had concerns about ...

... connecting his name with anything critical of the president -- especially living in Chicago, where people are "very, very liberal," he said.

"After Obama was elected, you had all of these people who basically saw him as the second coming of Christ," Alkhateeb said. "From my perspective, there wasn't much substance to him."

"I abstained from voting in November," he wrote in an e-mail. "Living in Illinois, my vote means close to nothing as there was no chance Obama would not win the state." If he had to choose a politician to support, Alkhateeb said, it would be Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

Possibly becoming a villain in his home city wasn't his only worry. Time's cover and the Joker obviously aren't Alkhateeb's copyrights to fool around with.

Concerned about a lawsuit, Alkhateeb, an unnamed superstar whose nationally recognized artwork had stunned friends and family, was relieved that the situation had floated for months without any major news organizations discovering that he was the man behind the paint.

After we contacted him, he hesitantly agreed to an interview.

If it's any consolation, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization that defends digital rights, says Alkhateeb has a strong fair-use defense if Time or DC Comics decides to take him to court -- that is if one even does file a lawsuit.

"You really want to think twice about going after a political commenter," said Corynne McSherry, a senior staff attorney at the EFF. In Time's case, "a news organization probably doesn't want to be in the situation of pursuing political criticism."

Perhaps the strongest case for anyone, McSherry said, is for Alkhateeb to claim money derived from people selling T-shirts with his picture. Is it worth pursuing? "It would be nice, but it's not that big of a deal," Alkhateeb said.

Although Alkhateeb claims he was making no political statement with the artwork, he's plugged into the Washington debate. Though born in the United States, his Palestinian family closely follows Middle Eastern politics.

"I think he's definitely doing better than Bush was," Alkhateeb said of Obama. Alkhateeb's views on foreign relations align with the Democrats, he said, while he prefers Republican ideals on domestic issues.

Alkhateeb's assessment of Obama: "In terms of domestic policy, I don't think he's really doing much good for the country right now," he said. "We don't have to 'hero worship' the guy."

Someday, Alkhateeb hopes to be a history teacher and high school football coach. He won't be pursuing a full-time career in art, but he'll continue playing with Photoshop on the side. He's honored by Shepard Fairey's assessment of his Joker picture, but disagrees with some of Fairey's comments criticizing the message of the Socialism poster.

"He made a picture of Bush as a vampire," Alkhateeb said about Fairey. "That's kind of speaking with two faces."

Regardless, Alkhateeb does agree with the Obama "Hope" artist about "socialism" being the wrong caption for the Joker image. "It really doesn't make any sense to me at all," he said. "To accuse him of being a socialist is really ... immature. First of all, who said being a socialist is evil?"

-- Mark Milian

No joke, click here for Twitter alerts on each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot or @mmilian

Photo credits: Firas Alkhateeb

Comments

[GOP08_DOA]

Congratulations bro. You're the new hero of the truthers, the conservative mob, the blatantly uniformed, the Sarah Palin/McCain/Bush/Cheney voters, the FNC droolers, and the generally ignorant young republicans of the USA. Only in America right?

[Jason Sanborn]

Yeah.. being socialist isn't evil, it's CRAZY!!

[jeanneb]

How in the world can you write this column and NOT mention the racial charges thrown around about this poster?!

You inadvertently expose the triviality of the Democrats' race-baiting...and then ignore it?!

You kinda missed the story, Dude.

[dianeremarx]

The state-run media rag Time shows Obama as the Joker but of course they have to put some positive spin on it by their title: "Why Barack Obama could be the next president" So typical of the state-run media. Use the picture to sell their magazine but push a positive spin on it.

THERE IS NO WAY OBAMA IS GOING TO BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT!

NONE, ZILCH, NADDA, ZERO, CERO, ÉCOUTER...

[daveedt]

this guy better watch his back now.....Emmanuel's goons are already tracking him, his emails, etc.....

[Habeeb]

Right on! Excellent caricature.

[Frank Ferrer]

The reason this portrait caught so much attention is because it's message is true.

[Mark]

You say:

"In Time's case, "a news organization probably doesn't want to be in the situation of pursuing political criticism.""

Time is a news organization? Yeah, right!

[Marjorie Haun]

Thank you Firas Alkhateeb! You have burned into the memory of a generation the first symbolically truthful image of one of the biggest hoaxes in American history. Barak Obama is not the man elected by masses of enamored Americans last November. He is an interloper and a thief of the American dream who would "change" our country to a statist utopia where he and his "czars", who are unaccountable to the public, will control every aspect of our lives. Don't be modest Firas, this is an inspired image of the clown in chief.

[Matt]

An aspiring history teacher not sure if being a socialist is evil?

Couldn't be a better commentary on the state of this country...

[Spooky]

Maybe Adobe should look into this guy and see if it was a legal copy of Photoshop, I am going to bet it wasn't

[sassy]

No surprise that conservatives would embrace
an obama picture done up in whiteface.

[Larry Black]

Who would a thunk it

[Bogus Dudus]

Hmm . . . I guess BEING a socialist isn't evil, but socialism certainly has been historically. You want to be a history teacher sir, so do some research and then point to one socialist system that didn't devolve into either dictatorship or total productive collapse, or both. It may appear to work for a while, but not long in most cases. . . and yes, the USA is a good example. In only 40 years, creeping socialism has slowly brought the strongest economy in the world to its knees, and the rapid downward acceleration since the socialist Joker took office has been positively breathtaking in its economic destruction. The worst is yet to come.

[G]

Brilliant

[R. Foster]

Why so serious?

[Baylyn]

As they say....If the shoe fits, WEAR IT! Har, whatta load of disingenious, righteous indignation. Whatta bunch of cry-baby liberals! Hey....."move on" you punks! You like to dish it out, but ya can't take it!

[acarr]

humm where do we draw the line on freedom of speech...oh yea start here because there is some truth to the image, that's ART..see it?

[Greg]

Watch out dude,
Your Flicker account will be reopened and you will now receive unsolicited emails from the Whitehouse fatboy, Axelrod and your passport will be checked along with making public that you pooped in your pants when you were a baby. Rahm will be mailing you some dead fish too. Don't you know free spreech is only for teachers, union thugs, and shallow democrats? Shame on you, don't ever say what you are thinking.

Ask Joe the plumber!

[Psalms91]

Firas Alkhateeb, you did a wonderful thing by demonstrating your American right to free speech. More than half the country shares your opinion of Mr. Obama. I happen to believe that this Joker poster is way too friendly. If we could actually see through his facade, we would find a very sinister, demonic ENEMY of our country. Kenyan born, he is filled with hatred, disrespect, revenge, and a desire to destroy us from the inside out. He must be amazed at the lack of intellect of his followers. So easily he manipulates, controls and fools them, elicits their worship and praise. The Democrats are so blinded by this con man, they cannot see that they are being played for fools. He is the Pied Piper, leading his followers to the edge of the cliff. As they blindly take their final plunge into the sea, they will still be worshipping their beloved Leader. Yes, he does exemplify The Joker. Pray for our beautiful country. There is only one God. And, He is NOT Mr. Obama.

[Steve Sharkman]

This idiot would have voted for Dennis Kucinich? Are you kidding me?
Liberalism is a mental disorder.

[Chris]

Kucinich?

I live in the Kook's district. Thanks, in part, to Dennis, Cleveland is following right behind Chicago on the march to cesspoolitude for which Detroit has paved the way.

[Roger]

He just calls them as he sees them. This guy ought to get a medal!

[Julianne]

Amazing Kid...I bow to you...keep up the good work! Don't let all these sheep idiots tell you otherwise, they all need to wake up and see the sunshine.

[The Truth]

"First of all, who said being a socialist is evil"

Uhhhhhhh...anyone who sees the long-term effects of socialism. Newsflash: we live in a Republic and don't want any socialist/Marxist takeovers. If you think that's immature, move back to the Middle East.

[Mark in NJ]

I hope "Firas the Artist" doesn't have to endure the same scrutiny that "Joe the Plumber" was subjected to...

[Art Sayre]

>> "To accuse him of being a socialist is really ... immature. First of all, who said being a socialist is evil?"<<

Apparently this aspiring history teacher needs to study up on history. But he should fit in nicely with today's educrats.

[joeuser]

who cares? the world is going to end in 2012 anyways

[Joe M]

Socialism IS evil but, I digress. More relevant to the artwork, of course, is the point that socialism is a JOKE!

And it is a joke in exactly the way the Joker himself explains it in the movie. The Joker sees Gotham’s citizens as one big mob of rot with a range-of-the-moment mentality unable and unwilling to see past there immediate whimsical desires. He tells batman how the big joke is on him because the citizens of Gotham would abandon him the minute their whims aren't placated.

Ironically, its socialism that is more likely to perpetrate this mentality on society. A collective where all must share equally and no individuals’ earnings, property or productivity are his to keep inevitably leads to a zero sum economics where society is regularly up against critical decisions like should we buy healthcare this month or food? Civility quickly deteriates under this system leaving you with the short-range brutes the Joker says is everyone’s nature.

Ergo, the caption on the Obama-Joker is perfect!

[Rick Clay]

I loved this poster! It really captures Obama and what he really is. I send it out on many of my e-mails. He is nothing but a Socialist and is trying to implament his Socialism in our every day life. He is a Joker.

[Bob]

OH!!! So ifr he had done this when Bush was in office, he would be a brilliant artist. Now that he attacks The Messiah, he is a "Terrorist". I see how you libtards think.

[Chad]

Maybe Obama will call him to the Whitehouse to have a beer.

[martin s]

Not to worry. Time magazine will only go after conservatives.He's safe!

[YouClown]

@chotii - Are you serious?? When all else fails & one has no substantial argument. . resort to the lowest of the low, the race card :rollseyes: Get a life

[mike]

Always thought the Joker wasn't such a bad guy...its just that nobody understood his form of justice...and there was always that damned vigilante batman turning things around on him.

[Chickleteer]

I find nothing offensive enough about this photoshopped picture of the president to warrant a witch hunt or outrage. Because this joker image portrait was done with the previous president by a major magazine without a peep of outrage. HOWEVER--------- GO TO HIS WEB SITE, SOME OF HIS WORK IS GREAT. THE KID HAS TALENT.

[Kland]

I would like to see the the Pelosi, Frank, and Waxman versions.

[Emmie859]

Maybe being a socialist isn't selling your soul to the devil, it's just renting it to him.

[Bogie]

Where can I get the Obama Socialist poster?

[libzeatshit]

"Is it "racism" if the perp is also a minority? Of a different minority?"

Great question. Enough to make a lib not know whether to shit or go blind.

[CO2isOK.org]

Alkhateeb states, "To accuse him of being a socialist is really ... immature. First of all, who said being a socialist is evil?"

A socialist individual may be extremely kind, but the results of his or her policies and certainly his or her national leaders tend to be the epitome of evil. I would counsel Alkhateeb to read Hayek's "Road to Serfdom", Hazlitt's "Economics in One Lesson", and anything from Thomas Sowell to expand his understanding of socialism.

[tony]

What happened to artistic parody? I dont see how his image isa a copyright violation

[Roseann Rosario]

"He made a picture of Bush as a vampire," Alkhateeb said about Fairey. "That's kind of speaking with two faces."

BINGO! That is the point we've been trying to make. Bush could be depicted by artist as a vampire, as the Joker and ever Hitler, but try to make equal points with Obama and your'e a racist?

Either get both sides to stop or let both do it. Liberials claim free speech. It has to go both ways.

[Wendy Wallace]

So why didn´t the reporter ask the artist if the Obama Joker art work was racist???

[Dave]

This guy is taking credit for something he didn't do.
He may have jokered Obama but by Googling 'joker obama' you will come up with many of the same thing. It was Anonymous that cleaned it up, put 'socialism' at the bottom and put it out in the real world where old people would see it.

Anonymous did it for the 'lulz'.

[HighPlainsDrifter]

GCN radio's Alex Jones seems to have used the Joker image of Obama in a special promo. At least it appears nearly identical to the one made by the student. Many people have downloaded it from his site infowars.com and plastered it across the country. I'm not sure but I think Jones may also sell t-shirts with the image.

When you download the image you can choose the legend you want across the bottom, either 'Socialism', 'Fascism', or 'InfoWars.com'.

[roserazzle]

Obama and the entire administration are jokers.
This is a no brainer

the whole bunch = epic fail
and I am a college student and did not vote for the sleazy fraud

[Jason Thomas]

I love it. I'm ordering a T-Shirt which are now widely available. Obama's a moron.

[rick]

Socialism isn't evil. Capitalism is evil. Capitalism is winner take all at the expense of other inhabitants of the earth. Socialism levels the playing ground against the greedy who hog everything they can get their hands on.

[Dick Sicario Las Vegas. NV]

Hope the origional painting ends up on display somewhere in an art gallery or museum for all to see. Grandparents can take their grandkids to see it and say " Thats the clown that distroyed my USA !