We do hate artspeak jargon here at We Heart, but there’s one word we can’t escape using from time to time: found. Artists use it to describe the re-appropriation of previous material for a new purpose, but we doubt they “found” this stuff in the skip behind the local library; often it is the work of another artist rather than the untraceable or abandoned gubbins at the back of a house clearance drawer. How much can an artist borrow before it becomes theft?

That’s a question Jason Atomic and Rhian Hughes ask in the Image Duplicator project. Many comic book and graphic artists have had their work picked up and turned into creations of a genre more accepted by the art establishment – pop art – and in many cases the original artist is not credited (or even consulted), one of the main culprits being the eternally-divisive Roy Lichtenstein, whose iconic works come straight from the pens of comic artists like Russ Heath, Irv Novick, and many more.

The pair are looking to make a statement of defiance, and in some way retribution, with Image Duplicator. Artists have been asked to work with a famous appropriated image, together with the original source of inspiration, and come up with a third way, commenting on the process and ethics of some pop art heavyweights. The cheeky result can be seen at Orbital Comics, London, until 31st May, and you can order a copy of the images from Print Process.

FuFu Frauenwahl
Tony Abruzzo

Jason Atomic after
Carl Barks

Betty Boolean after
Nick Cardy & Jack Kirby

Dave Gibbons after
Irv Novick

Salgood Sam after
Irv Novick

David Leach after
Tony Abruzzo

Howard Chaykin