Dave Buonaguid, aka Real Hackney Dave, has worked in advertising for over 30 years, founding St. Luke’s, the world’s first advertising co-operative which was dubbed ‘the most frightening company on earth’ by the Harvard Business Review. He has since worked as Creative Director at Channel 4, and he founded the Karmarama agency.
During a year-long break from the advertising world, Buonaguidi undertook a screen-printing course, which gave him the medium to express his ideas in new ways. He pushes visual boundaries, combining found ephemera and emotive imagery with assertive slogans that demand attention.
Applying his expertise in advertising and mass production, he works with shock colours, fun language and textures to create a reaction with the viewer, but always with a light-hearted and mischievous twist. In 2003, Buonaguidi created the iconic ‘Make Tea Not War’ poster for the march against the war on Iraq. Today, this piece forms part of the collection at the V&A and hangs in the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto in Italy.
