Artist behind fake Eagles ads endorsing Kamala Harris says he's unaware how they got on bus shelters
PHILADELPHIA - The artist behind posters claiming the Philadelphia Eagles had endorsed Kamala Harris took to social media on Thursday claiming that he was responsible for the artwork, but that he did not know how the image ended up on bus stops in Philadelphia.
Street artist Winston Tseng released the statement on his Instagram account Thursday afternoon, saying that he had been hearing from reporters and seeing wild conspiracy theories about the posters.
The absurd poster of Kamala Harris wearing an Eagles helmet is my artwork, but I don’t know how it ended up at bus stops in Philadelphia," Tseng wrote.
His statement went on to explain the meaning behind the Eagles poster and past works of his that are similar in nature.
‘My work used brands and advertising to communicate societal issues," he added. "On one level, the poster is a parody of the ads we see along I-95 promoting the ‘official beer’ or the ‘official accounting firm of the Philadelphia Eagles.’"
He goes on to question why the public cares about the endorsement of celebrities or corporations.
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"Yet here we are, and I think the strong reaction we’ve seen to this satirical endorsement is a reflection of our times," Tseng explained.
He added that it’s been made quite clear that Harris is not the official candidate of the Eagles, and again encouraged people to visit the team’s voter registration page.
The posters popped up on SEPTA bus shelters over Labor Day Weekend and caused a bit of a stir over the holiday as the Eagles issued a statement calling the posters ‘counterfeit political ads.’
Eagles officials at the time said they were working with their advertising partner to have the posters removed. In the meantime, one fan went viral for his efforts to cover them and set the record straight.
The ads were removed in the following days.
The ads show a cartoon character carrying a football and wearing an Eagles helmet with "Kamala Official Candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles" written in Eagles-style font. Photos of the posters appeared on shelters in different parts of the city, and photos of them were widely shared on social media.
The ad also featured a web address to an outdated voter registration page on the Eagles’ website. The page did not feature an endorsement.