Cold War Steve is the pen name of Christopher Spencer (born 1975),[citation needed] a British collage artist and satirist.
His work typically depicts a grim, dystopian location in England populated by British media figures, celebrities, and politicians, usually with EastEnders actor Steve McFadden (in character as Phil Mitchell) looking on in disgust.
He then failed to get into three different universities and subsequently spent the next twenty years working a series of mundane jobs in factories and the public sector.
As the title suggested, the work initially concentrated on the Cold War era, inserting Steve McFadden into photographs from the period often featuring Ronald Reagan or Mikhail Gorbachev.
[5] Other large scale outdoor artwork followed at Glastonbury 2019 (a collaboration with Led By Donkeys) and a piece for the National Galleries of Scotland 'Harold, The Ghost of Lost Futures' as part of their 'Cut and Paste' exhibition which also featured work by Matisse, Peter Blake, Joan Miró, Hannah Höch and John Heartfield.
In 2019, Cold War Steve published two books with Thames & Hudson:[10][better source needed] The Festival of Brexit in March, followed by A Prat's Progress in October.