“I’m trying to exist without selling out.  The internet is a platform for artists to showcase their art without a physical gallery. 

 This site is for the people.” 

 -Jon-Paul Bail 

 

Jon-Paul Bail (aka Political Gridlock), is a street artist and fine artist based in the Bay Area. Born and raised in Alameda, CA, Jon-Paul Bail is the grandson of 19th century landscape artist, Richard DeTreville, and has been making art since the age of 5. Since he was a child he has always known that he was meant to be an artist. Inspired by the 1980’s punk rock art scene and his Chicano screen-printing class taught by Malaquias Montoya, Jon-Paul combined the two aesthetics to create a discourse on social justice topics and current world events. 

 

Jon-Paul Bail attended California College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC) (1985-1990) and SF Art Institute (1991) where he truly honed in his eclectic and socio-politically intriguing visual commentary. In 1994, Bail branded himself as “Political Gridlock” which promotes social awareness towards current local, national and global issues in a provocative, outspoken, funny and sometimes shocking spin on popular culture. His current ideology is how capitalism “has seen the natural world as a commodity resource while today surveillance capitalism sees residual data as a resource,” where we are disarmed through radical indifference. 

 

His work can be found on the streets of Oakland, San Francisco, the greater Bay Area, and more. He has done print work for Winston Smith and Emory Douglas and has shown work in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Rome, Italy.  JP’s art is also in the collections of the Legion of Honor, Oakland Museum, Study of Political Graphics, and Yerba Buena Arts Center and has been published in 10+ political art books (Yo! What Happened to Peace, Visions of Peace and Justice, The Outlaw Bible of American Art, All of Us or None, Special Delivery, Reproduce and Revolt, To Protect & Serve/Proteger y Servir, and two editions of Paper Politics).