Pop culture is pretty absurd. The cult of celebrity--with its scandals, scrutiny, voyeurism, and vicarious living--revolves around people who entertain us, that we don't actually know. In light of the ensuing media circus surrounding the untimely death of the King of Pop, the work of lowbrow/pop surrealism of painter Dave MacDowell is extremely relevant and even necessary. Somebody's gotta show us how silly all this stuff is.

Referencing every thing from "The Wizard of Oz" to malt liquor, MacDowell's work satirizes the inconsequential things we tend to take too seriously and refocuses our attention on things that might get lost in the shuffle while we worry about Maury Povich paternity tests and "who rocked it better?" Y'know, like free speech and diversity of ideas. Check out some of Macdowell's paintings after the jump, your brain will thank you.