Up Against the Wall Motherfucker, often shortened as The Motherfuckers or UAW/MF began as an avant-garde art group called Black Mask, founded in 1966 by Ben Morea and Dan Georgakas. Drawing inspiration from Dadaism and anti-Vietnam War activism, Black Mask sought to infuse revolutionary art into everyday life, challenging the notion that art was a privilege reserved for the elite.
Ben Morea, a civil rights activist and far-left anarchist, was closely aligned with the Black Panthers and often described himself as a modern revolutionary. His influence, along with that of Black Mask, played a pivotal role in shaping the countercultural landscape of 1960s-1970s New York City.
This rare publication, limited to just 300 copies, chronicles the history of Black Mask, Ben Morea, and the broader American counterculture movement. Published in 2023, this particular copy was a fortunate find at the Shadow Book Fair in NYC earlier this year. In the six months since, I have not encountered another copy available for sale online.
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