Stroke of genius or offshoot of our TV-centric brand-batty society?

Elliot Grey, an Andy-Warhol-meets-Calvin-Klein-model-meets-

rapper artist, is getting as much attention for his art, a psychedelic fusion of film and images on DVD (‘a commentary on the banality of TV,’ he quips) as for his bravado.

He’s convinced Caban, after sending anonymous images of his work for eight months, to sell and showcase it as a full-wall design in its three stores in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

His canvas? Televisions from Dell Canada, which jumped on the chance to get an urban profile for its low-key foray into home entertainment.

So what ever happened to the integrity of the starving artist? ‘In our society everything is a brand. I’m the next brand,’ he says. He’s planning a national tour selling his art out of the back of his car.

And his next ballsy tactic? A 8×6 billboard-sized rendering of his work, wrapped in shiny red paper, addressed to Oprah no less. ‘I want to get on her list of favourite things.’ Einstein, I’d say.