The artist, one Hjalmar Wahlin of Stockholm, demonstrates the hierarchy of Western Europe: the corporations that ultimately hold all the power sitting above us, followed by a (seemingly) untouchable monarchy and state. The middle-class "with their wine and fancy glasses" (wonderfully put) look up lovingly at their royal family (a recent poll comes to mind with a large majority of the British middle-class naming Queen Elizabeth II as the person they most admire). Below them, the workers and labourers, with a small percentage moving up. And finally, tadpoles crawling over each other in some attempt to move up in life - perhaps, the competitive nature that is instilled in our younger generations at an early age, the out-for-myself spirit, that we feel is necessary to succeed in a drastically detached society?
The piece is aptly named Hierarchy of the Frogs, and to see more of Hjalmar's work just click.
