Why the 'Hell is Real' vandalizer says he regrets the decision
If you haven't driven between Columbus and Cincinnati lately, you may not have seen the latest addition to the infamous "Hell is Real" sign.
The namesake of the FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew rivalry , with the latest match-up on Sunday, the religious sign and its companion billboard have warned passersby for nearly two decades.
But the addition of an image of a demon has pushed the ominous sign into a new era.
LISP, a young street artist who grew up around Ohio and wouldn't give his real name, recently took credit for the image, which first appeared in January.
He said the paste-up "sticker," attached with a temporary paste, is still up despite being easily removable. The material is also biodegradable, with parts of the image starting to come off naturally from the rain.
The decision to target the "Hell is Real" billboard, which he said was somewhat spur of the moment, was a fitting choice for his artistic style.
"I have already done a lot of artwork centered around using grotesque imagery. But I also am very interested in American aesthetics ... traditional American visuals," he said. "It was the one thing that the sign was missing."
LISP waited several months before revealing his involvement, even after opinions came rushing in online on Reddit . He released a video reposted in July on the Instagram account Life in Columbus, which has received nearly 200,000 views and almost 9,000 likes.
"I wanted to do something that would organically create some type of dialogue amongst people," he said.
He knew it would be controversial. He's received positive and negative reactions, including threats that prompted LISP to make his Instagram anonymous.
Some have perceived the act as disrespectful to religious beliefs, while others simply hold reverence for the iconic sign, relating it to the Hollywood sign in California.
But he did not realize how much it would affect him personally, including mixed reactions from close friends and family members.
"Imagine being so proud of yourself but also disappointed in yourself altogether at the same," LISP said. "I value the people around me ... Even though I'd say the stereotypical street artist ... you think of them as maybe a little narcissistic and or maybe just don't care how people feel, but I'm definitely not that person. I'm someone that cares deeply about people's opinions, even if I disagree with them."
But LISP doesn't regret the decision to deface the billboard, at least not because of the criticism. He thinks it serves a greater purpose outside of himself.
"The regret I have now is more like an aesthetic thing," he said. "I could do better work."
LISP also doesn't view the defacement as disrespectful to Christianity, having grown up an evangelical Christian. But he does consider the paste-up a response to religion.
"I grew up in a society that was very 'Hell is Real.' Like, Hell is real, therefore, you need to tell people about it. And that's loving to do that," he said. "I've seen how toxic that kind of belief system is. What Jesus was trying to communicate is to have real personal connections with people, to truly love people. And so to just talk (at) someone or to try to scare them is really not loving at all."
LISP has not heard from Jimmy Harston, the owner of the billboards who once said he put up the signs because he was scared of what would happen if he didn't: "If I don't do it, (God) will whip me," he told the Dispatch in 2007. But the image may not be up much longer. In a recent interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer , Harston was told about the demon face and responded that he would investigate it and have to fix it.
More: You've seen the Hell is Real sign. Meet Jimmy Harston, the man behind it
LISP also has not heard from any authorities, but he is prepared for the possibility. Many people have told him they will take the image down themselves, but as of August, the demon face remains.
With the defacement, LISP said his intention is to encourage individuals to feel empowered to have a conversation and respond to any viewpoint, no matter how one-sided it seems.
"We have so much more power than we realize," LISP said. "Your opinion matters and your perspective matters and your existence matters."
tmoorman@dispatch.com
@taijuannichole
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'Hell is Real' vandaliser revealed after viral video
