Failed

Failed (2021) - CryptoMom3720

In Failed, CryptoMom3720 appropriates a familiar visual from the Crown Prosecution Service’s official social media feeds - a template normally used to announce “Jailed” alongside details of a successful conviction. By replacing “Jailed” with the stark, graffiti-style “Failed,” the artist subverts the state’s own celebratory format, drawing attention to the many victims left without justice.

The dripping, street-art aesthetic adds a raw urgency, suggesting both defacement and protest - a refusal to accept official narratives uncritically. The Lady Justice figure, partially obscured, looms in the background, her scales a reminder of the system’s ideals, contrasted sharply with the accusation of failure.

By flipping a symbol of state authority into an indictment, Failed becomes both a personal and collective statement about institutional neglect, speaking for survivors whose cases have been dismissed, mishandled, or silenced.