Established in 1984 by Dare Jennings and Andrew Rich, the Mambo label began as a backyard business screenprinting T-shirts for a small niche market in surfwear. The mix of surf culture, art and music influences resonated with Australian youth who loved the notoriety and controversy the designs characteristic of Mambo aroused in conservative middleclass Australia. The designs were vibrant, humorous, irreverent and of questionable taste but had broad appeal with youth both in Australia and overseas. The disintegration of accepted motifs and conventions, the portrayal of anti-realist and anti-rational popular iconography combined with imagery typifying Australian suburbia dominate Mambo designs.

The posters reveal that beneath the humour and amusing parodies, lies incisive insight, sympathy and expression of serious social concern. In parodying societyÂ?s sacred cows, artwork created for Mambo in visual and linguistic form, challenges existing social mores while simultaneously providing a public forum for talented graphic artists to exhibit their work.

This is an important collection of posters and is significant for the contribution Mambo Graphics has made to Australian popular culture. Artists represented in the collection include Chris OÂ?Doherty (alias Reg Mombassa), David McKay, Gerry Wedd, Maria Kozic, Jeff Raglus, Jim Mitchell, Paul McNeil, Seenu, Rockin Jelly Bean and Marcelle Lunam.

This poster was designed by Richard Allan for Mambo Graphics in 1987.

Mambo was established in 1984 by Dare Jennings and Andrew Rich as a backyard business screenprinting T-shirts. Artists are commissioned to produce designs that are duplicated on Mambo products. It became a large commercial clothing and textile manufacturer with an annual turnover of more than $10 million. Mambo products are sold in Japan, America, Europe and New Zealand. As well as furniture and clothes, Mambo designs and graphics are mass produced on surfboards, surfbags, posters, CD covers and in ads.
In 2000 Jennings and co-founder Andrew Rich sold the company to Gazal corporation, a Sydney based clothing manufacturer which had manufactured and distributed Mambo clothes since 1990. This left Jennings and his artists more time to be creative and let others worry about the business and its risks.

Artists represented in this collection include Reg Mombassa, David McKay, Gerry Wedd, Maria Kozic, Jim Mitchell, Paul McNeil, Seenu, Marcelle Lunam and Jeff Raglus. Their work expresses the obligatory irreverence one has come to expect from Mambo graphic design.

Poster, advertising, '100% Mambo Surf Showdown', silk screen print, designed by Richard Allan for Mambo Graphics Pty Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1987

Poster with image that depicts a surfer carrying a surfboard featuring logo, Â?Team Union Carbide, Bhopal ChampionshipsÂ? and skull and crossbones. The surfer is wearing protective clothing including heavy gloves, boots helmet and oxygen tank, with Dow Chemical logo on bottom of pants leg, 3 M logo and Â?Slime MasterÂ? on shoulder and Monsanto on right boot. Text includes Â?Surf showdown /100% Mambo / Surf Dive & Ski / 17th-18th-19th / an / A.P.S.A double / A rated / event / Dec 88 / Bondi / Beach / presented / by / 2 JJJ / S.T.O.P. / the ocean pollutionÂ?.

Designed: 1987

Made: 1987

Included near image printed text; 'ALLAN'.

2008/10/27

1987

595 mm

420 mm