Stock market expert turned artist James Gubb has invented a new form of protest art. See how he combined his mathematical genius with his visual acuity to create a series of trades that give the Gupta family, and everyone else in bed with them or who have turned a blind eye to the graft and economic destruction, the middle finger. Some South Africans will undoubtedly think James Gubb deserves an award for creativity. But the JSE and Financial Services Board officials haven’t developed an appreciation for his unique artistic approach. Instead, they have slapped him with a hefty fine to punish him for his subversive activity.
I got fined R100 000 yesterday by the FSB for trading 22 shares at various prices on the now delisted Oakbay, the Gupta Family’s financial vehicle, at the end of March this year, around the days of protest around the country. This was recommended by the JSE after an interrogation on 18 May in Cape Town by the JSE.
What I have done is essentially a world first, ie used a financial information medium to create a recognisable image. Conceptual art, Protest Art, Indelible Graffiti, whatever you want to call it, I gave it a go to highlight the ongoing systematic rape of our country by the Gupta family. The fact that the image was that of a clenched fist with the middle finger extended might have offended some, but that was the point. We were asked by Pravin Gordhan to “by all means possible, stand fast in the face of brazen, blatant corruption” which I did in my own way. I literally joined the dots. Read more