Meet the Artist Behind the POPaganda Posters Going Viral

By Ned Kelly

Malaysian Simon Fong is an art-based freelance Creative Director who works in 4A agencies, doing film projects, KVs (Key Visuals) and digital work. He is also the artist behind the POPaganda posters that you have no doubt seen being shared in WeChat groups or on Moments. We caught up with him to find out more.

What brought you to Shanghai?
I moved to Shanghai from Kuala Lumpur about nine years ago. I came here to look for my wife! She was offered a job in Shanghai, and after a year and a half, I decided to join her. I fell in love with the city almost immediately.

How did you conceive of the POPaganda series?
I got bored after a few days of the lockdown, and after hearing some (un)eventful things, I decided to make use of my time and come out with a few humorous posters to lighten things up a bit.

I heard someone saying that the lockdown situation and some rules that have been implemented are taking Shanghai backwards, and voila! It suddenly struck me with images of Mao-era propaganda posters, because those are what most people would immediately resonate with.

Having a wicked sense of humor certainly helps too!

Were there specific works or images you took inspiration from?
Most of the series are either re-worked or improvised upon from many references that I found online.

But the more recent ones are inspired by flamethrowers used by American soldiers during the Vietnam War (China is now battling a different kind of war – the war on COVID).

And the more famous Uncle Sam poster, which I adapted to a health worker asking everyone to try and stay “negative.”

How did you come up with the POPaganda name?
Easy – I’m fusing Pop Art and propaganda posters!

Were you surprised when they went viral?
Quite so! When I first posted them, Pouneh, an expat friend of mine, texted me saying that she loved the posters so much I should sell them to her as a souvenir when she eventually leaves Shanghai. She then re-posted to many of her group chats, and it went crazy from there. I owe my stardom to her!

Can people buy the posters anywhere?
At the moment there are a lot of inquiries about buying them as prints, and I have set up a group chat to manage pre-orders. Just add me on WeChat using the ID freudegg or scan the QR:

I’m also thinking of selling them actively once the restrictions have been lifted, most likely at art markets/fairs. Other than that, I have also put them up as NFTs, and so far, three have been snapped! The NFTs can be found by scanning the QR (VPN on):

Any more lockdown series lined up?
Definitely! Every day I seem to get some new ideas from the events that are happening around me... they are all in my head, and it’s going to explode soon!

I’m going to “regurgitate” some more as long as we’re in this lockdown so that boredom doesn’t kill me.

That last poster references a bizarre and disturbing WeChat exchange, in which a man suggested eating his black neighbor.

READ MORE: Locked Down Neighbor Suggests 'Eating Black Guy on 7th Floor'

We reached out to the man at the center of it, an American international teacher from Chicago named Jacobie Kinsey, to get his take on the incident.

READ MORE: We Spoke to Jacobie Kinsey About the #DontEatMe Incident

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[All images and video courtesy of Simon Fong]

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