“No Kings”: Stratford artist goes viral with anti-Trump artwork ahead of U.S. protests

Painting by local artist Carlie Pearce goes viral on social media and is now being sent across the world.

Inspired by political artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy, Stratford’s own Carlie Pearce is going viral with her latest work – a “No Kings” U.S. President Donald Trump playing card protest poster that’s now being printed and shipped around the world.

Initially inspired by her feelings about the recently elected President Trump, Pearce took to her easel to create a piece that she hoped would draw attention and show what side of history she stands on.

“A lot of people don't realize that all art can be political. This particular one is clearly touching on that in a pretty big way,” she said.

“I wanted to show people that I'm not afraid to put my art out there and take a stance. Especially right now, I want to make it known what side of history I'm on.”

The painting was first shared online, and within a week, it gained significant traction on social media.

“At first, I posted the progress video of me painting it from start to finish. I had a hunch that it might go viral if it picked up on the algorithm the right way – and sure enough, I started getting comments and shares,” she said.

“Now it's about a week and a half later, and it’s getting a second wave on TikTok. It’s up to almost 7.5 million views, and on Instagram, it’s over 4.2 million. So it’s still going and getting lots of comments, likes and shares.”

While most of the feedback has been positive, Pearce admits there have been hateful or negative comments – but says she’s learned to see those as a silver lining.

“The negative comments actually help amp up the art,” she said. “It makes people have more conversations within the comment section, and it boosts the algorithm, which then helps get the post out there even more.”

Although most of the poster prints are going to customers in the United States, Pearce said she was surprised to see how many orders came from Germany, the U.K. and even Australia.

“I am shipping the prints across the world, actually. It really shows that this is such a worldwide issue and everyone is watching.”

While she initially planned to sell physical posters, Pearce recently released a digital version, allowing people to print their own copies and display them however they choose.

“I was very apprehensive about doing the digital copy because I like selling physical copies. I like being able to sign it and knowing how people will use my art,” she said. “However, it's meant to be put out there and gain attention.”

In addition to being shipped across the world, Pearce also sent a copy to the president himself, which was expected to arrive last Monday. Although she hadn’t heard back and didn’t expect to, she was still happy to share this small victory.

“People online were telling me to ship a print to the White House, and at first I laughed, but then I figured, it only costs about $10 to ship, so why not!”

Despite the viral success of her political piece, Pearce said she doesn’t plan to lean fully into political art and instead wants to continue painting based on intuition.

“I do think all art is political in its own way. I’ve had a lot of people online tell me what I should paint next, but I really want to go with my gut instinct and paint more intuitively.”

Looking ahead to July 4, Pearce hopes the posters will reach buyers before the U.S. holiday, as many Americans are expected to take part in demonstrations across the country.

“I’ve never really had a piece that was used for anything other than being on a wall,” she said. “Being able to make such a statement and have my art be used across the country in upcoming protests is really cool.”