Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Riot Bottle (HPM)”
Summary
A hand-painted multiple depicting the unmistakable Coca-Cola contour bottle rendered in glossy teal-on-black, with the brand's flowing Spencerian script swapped out for the single cursive word "Riot." It distills D*Face's habit of hijacking the most recognizable commercial logos on earth and turning their own visual language against them, here equating mass-market refreshment with manufactured unrest.
Why It Matters
The Coke bottle is arguably the most reproduced consumer silhouette of the 20th century, and detourning it places D*Face squarely in the Pop lineage that runs from Warhol's Coca-Cola paintings through punk graphics. By replacing "Coca-Cola" with "Riot," he collapses the gap between branding and agitation, suggesting that consumer desire and civic disorder are both products being sold to us. As an HPM, each piece carries hand-applied paint over the printed base, so the subversion is literally worked by the artist's hand rather than mechanically reproduced.
Collector Perspective
An edition of 100 hand-finished works sits in the mid-tier of D*Face's output: scarcer than his open screen-print runs but more available than his one-off canvases. The HPM designation is the key value driver here, since each is individually hand-painted and therefore unique, which collectors reward over flat prints of the same image. The single-object, logo-subversion composition is clean and instantly legible, which helps secondary demand, though it lacks the winged D*Dog or doomed-lovers motifs that anchor his most sought-after work. Expect steady rather than explosive interest; condition of the hand-painted surface and intact signature/numbering will materially affect resale.
Historical Context
Made in 2018 during D*Face's Established Era, the work belongs to a long thread of artists appropriating the Coca-Cola brand as shorthand for American consumer capitalism and its global reach. The contour bottle, patented in 1915, is deliberately chosen because viewers complete the brand reading before they register the swap to "Riot." Coming out of his StolenSpace milieu and the post-2010s street-art market boom, the piece reflects D*Face's mature practice of pairing slick commercial finish with pointed anti-consumerist content.
FAQ
What does this artwork depict?
A Coca-Cola contour bottle painted in teal and black, with the Coca-Cola script replaced by the single cursive word "Riot," set against a plain white ground.
How large is the edition?
The edition is limited to 100 hand-painted multiples (HPMs).
What is an HPM?
HPM stands for Hand-Painted Multiple: a printed base that the artist then individually works over by hand with paint, so no two examples are exactly identical.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited editions are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, though signature and numbering should be confirmed for any specific example.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a Pop-art provocateur known for defacing comic, advertising and celebrity imagery and for co-founding the StolenSpace gallery.
Related Works
About the Artist
D*Face is the working name of Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a leading figure in British street art. He came up pasting stickers and posters across London in the early 2000s, then built a pop-fuelled visual language that defaces comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity iconography. Recurring motifs include his winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. His practice spans screenprints, hand-painted multiples, sculpture and large-scale murals worldwide, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London. His work satirises consumerism, power and our collective obsession with fame.
Collecting D*Face at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic D*Face prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of D*Face prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new D*Face prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across D*Face and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.