By Julia Diorio

Emmy-nominated artist and writer Molly Crabapple’s piece “The Great American Bubble Machine” is Maintenant 18’s official cover art. Releasing on July 16, Maintenant 18 is contemporary dada writers and artists from around the world redistributing a wealth of new ideas, to shape public opinion using the theme of PLUTOCRAZY.

Crabapple’s piece is inspired by Goldman Sachs, particularly Matt Taibbi’s Rolling Stone article about Goldman Sachs. It was the first of many pieces of hers exploring illustrative journalism, combining her passion for activism with her art skills. She sketched on the front lines for The Wall Street Journal for many years, detailing anything from Occupy Wall Street to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She is a versatile artist, describing her art as from “nightclubs and warzones.”  

Courtesy of Molly Crabapple

“It perfectly encapsulates the spirit of capitalism and greed,” said Arden Gray, 3RP associate. “It’s precisely what plutocrazy is trying to combat.”

Maintenant 18 features artists and creatives from all across the globe, from every class and every walk of life.

“I have my vampire squid whore-goddess of the market inflating,” Crabapple told Fast Company about the piece, “and then popping bubbles while my little banker cats wield their machines.”