Courtesy of the artist, Jonas Jödicke

Yesterday, the Los Angeles rapper, face tattoo maverick and all around bad boyAaron Carter took his fingertips to promoting his new hoodies on Twitter. What he used was an image of two lions butting heads, an artwork entitled “Brotherhood” by German artist Jonas Jödicke, a professional artist who is based in Berlin, and is 25-years-old.

If this was a commission, or if it was used with permission, it could have been a great collaboration between two artists. However, it wasn’t. Jödicke clapped back to Carter, as his artwork was used without credit as part of a social media push to sell merchandise.

Carter responded in a way that was less than professional, admitting he was in fact using the image to promote his clothing merchandise, and that he didn’t plan on taking it down.

In an interview with Forbes, Jödicke explains the story from his side, and why we need to step up to support visual artists more now, than ever. Sadly, this isn’t the first time his work has been used without his permission. He tells us about that time in Thailand, too, not to mention a run-in with Madonna.

How did you first learn that Aaron Carter was using your lion piece to promote his clothing brand on Twitter?

Jonas Jödicke: I first learned of Aaron’s use of my artwork from a follower on Twitter. They reached out via direct message telling me about Aaron’s tweet in which he had posted my artwork to promote his new merchandise shop. He did not mention me as the original artist and had not asked for permission in beforehand. That’s why I called him out in a tweet, in a polite way, to inform him that I was not alright with him using my art in that way.

What do you think of his response to you after you called him out?

His response to my tweet was what got the whole tweetstorm going. Instead of apologizing or reaching out to me to discuss things, he insulted me and said I should be glad he was using my art to promote his store. He ended with: “Guess I‘ll see you in small claims court …” I was absolutely amazed as to how he could respond in such a way and not expect people to lash out. I shared his response on my Twitter and Instagram and that is when it really blew up. In his Youtube livestream, he joked about my tweet having “17 likes.” As of now, it has more than 70,000 likes and reached more than 5 million. You could say the artist community on Twitter is outraged.

When do you say that Carter is making a ‘mockery of the artist community,’ how can celebrities respect visual artists going forward?

I didn’t want to cause a storm of this magnitude, but at the same time, I am glad that artist’s rights is coming to the public eye again. I think celebrities like Aaron Carter have a lot of responsibility. Many people look up to stars as role models, and if they treat artists like he has in his tweet, others might follow. So many people think that when you find an image online you can just use it for your own purposes, but celebrities should be at the forefront of teaching the masses about lawful and appropriate conduct, especially musicians and other artists, who understand how competitive the creative market is, and how difficult it can be for artists to make a living off their hard work. They have enough money to pay smaller creators for their services, but all too often, they feel like they don’t have to, because of their status. And all too often the ‘small ones’ back down.

What does this artwork, the lions, mean to you or represent?

The lion piece is called “Brotherhood,” I painted it a few years ago in a time of personal confusion and hurt. It’s still is one of my favorite paintings I ever created. It was actually also the art piece that got my career as a freelance artist going, as it went viral on Instagram and all over the internet. But with that came a lot of copyright issues as well though. It became my first artwork that was stolen by a clothing company for profit. Nowadays I receive messages by my followers on a daily basis who have found my art being sold by a random business. I have become so numb to it. Art thieves have literally made millions with my art. It is sold all over the world on markets, in shopping malls and on the internet. Last year I went to Thailand with my brother and we found a random street shop selling my art on a shirt. Also last year, my art appeared in a Netflix show, with no permission given whatsoever. I do officially work with a few companies that sell products with my art rightfully, but a lot of sellers, especially from China, are making really high figures off of my work, illegally.

How did your situation with Madonna work out from beginning to end? Was it respectful or did lawyers have to intervene?

The thing with Madonna happened a few years ago. She used one of my artworks to promote her tour. I think one of her fans had Photoshopped Madonna‘s face into the art piece and she, probably unknowingly who the original artist was, posted it on her social media. I tried to reach her with a public Facebook post that gained a lot of traction and she received hundreds of comments on her post, but I never got a reply. I didn’t pursue it any further legally, because I didn’t want the drama, but I now regret it. If we artists always back down like that, things will never change.

Courtesy of the artist, Jonas Jödicke

Why do you love fantasy art?

I love connecting with others through my art. We all enjoy escaping into realms of fantasy and magic to get away from this sometimes dark world. I love that I am able to provide that experience to others through my passion.

How are your pieces usually made?

My pieces are painted on the computer. I have a graphic tablet and Adobe Photoshop. People often think that digital art is made by the PC and that it is easier to do than traditional art, but I wouldn’t say that is true. It is just another medium that has become more and more popular among artists during the last years. The time I spent on an art piece ranges anywhere from five to 40 hours.

Check out Jonas Jödicke’s artwork on his website.

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