Artist William Tseng stated in an Instagram post on Wednesday that he was behind the recent fake Eagles "endorsement" of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
On Pattison reported last week that Tseng was likely the artist who created posters--installed in Center City Philadelphia bus shelters over Labor Day Weekend--proclaiming that Kamala Harris is the "official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles."
The Eagles quickly denied any association with the posters, but conspiracy theorists had a field day looking into possible connections between the club and the Harris campaign.
EXCLUSIVE: Are The Philadelphia Eagles Lying About The Pro Kamala Harris Eagles Ads Being “Counterfeit”? @Eagles @KamalaHarris https://t.co/LUnFCZdtUj
While Tseng takes credit for the artwork, he says he doesn't know "how it ended up at bus stops in Philadelphia." It's possible that someone installed Tseng's artwork without his knowledge, but it's at least equally likely that Tseng simply doesn't wish to confess to a crime. A court would probably consider the art itself to be a harmless parody, but it's likely still an act of vandalism to break into the bus shelters. (Full disclosure: While the author of this article is a lawyer, he is not a very good one, and he certainly does not specialize in this type of matter.)
In a 2021 interview with Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine, Tseng indicates that he has previously installed his own posters: "I started putting up posters a few years ago, but didn’t really think of them as street art or ever imagine they’d be seen that way . . . As far as installing them in public, the main motivation is just wanting to create tangible work . . Plus, the act of putting them up in public is pretty fun."
It remains to be seen whether Tseng's statement will quiet the Eagles/Harris conspiracy talk. Predictably, his decision to wink at the controversy by signing his statement as the "official artist of the Philadelphia Eagles" is already generating additional confusion.
I’m confused, is he actually employed by the eagles?
Ok so then why does he call himself the official artist of the Philadelphia Eagles? That’s another issue
Hope everyone is enjoying election season as much as football season! Just a few more crazy months to go.
