Mehreen Alberts
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Shepard Fairey is also famous for his activist and humanitarian concerns and often creates and donates artwork in order to promote awareness and show support 👍 After the 2015 Paris attacks, the had artist paid a tribute to the victims with the creation of a poster depicting Marianne, the French national icon, surrounded by the French motto Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité 🙌 In June 2016, Shepard Fairey reproduced the image as a mural in Paris. Fairey then offered the poster to French President Emmanuel Macron who hung it in his office. The artist also founded in 2007 the Obey Awareness Program, operated by Obey Clothing, so as so increase his humanitarian efforts. This program allows Fairey to support handpicked causes he believes in by selling specially designed merchandise and donating 100% of the profits raised. In the early 2000s, Fairey began donating to organizations like Chiapas Relief Fund or Feeding America. [1]
One of the most influential and best-known Street Artists, Shepard Fairey is a key figure in the creation and development of modern urban art. Emerging from the skateboarding scene and rising to prominence in the early 1990s, his street campaigns are wide-reaching and prolific, with some sparking international cultural movements. As Banksy noted, “If Shepard Fairey comes to your town, every single graffiti writer gets uptight…I am absolutely positive he had has made more reaches than any graffiti writer in history ever has done or ever will. And that means he’s won”. Fairey’s posters, stickers, and murals are a combination of parody, subversion, and dissent and seek to disrupt the boundaries between traditional and commercial art, asking questions about notions of public space and expected behaviourss. He has also made his mark as a graphic designer in both political and commercial spheres, with his work utilized in a number of very high-profile campaigns. (we give thanks to Natarsha Dupree from Madrid, Spain for their most recent insights). [2]
Theartstory.org goes on to describe how one of the most influential and best-known Street Artists, Shepard Fairey is a key figure in the creation and development of modern urban art. Emerging from the skateboarding scene and rising to prominence in the early 1990s, his street campaigns are wide-reaching and prolific, with some sparking international cultural movements. As Banksy noted, “If Shepard Fairey comes to your town, every single graffiti writer gets uptight…I am absolutely positive he had has made more reaches than any graffiti writer in history ever has done or ever will. And that means he’s won”. Fairey’s posters, stickers, and murals are a combination of parody, subversion, and dissent and seek to disrupt the boundaries between traditional and commercial art, asking questions about notions of public space and expected behaviourss. He has also made his mark as a graphic designer in both political and commercial spheres, with his work utilized in a number of very high-profile campaigns. (many thanks to Marcie Herbert from Eskisehir, Turkey for their revisions). [3]
As a middle-class teenager, Fairey had an interest in skateboard culture. By 1984 he was designing and selling hand-decorated boards and T-shirts. He graduated (1988) from the Idyllwild Arts Academy in Palm Springs, California, and earned a B.F.A. (1992) from the Rhode Island School of Design. While at the latter institute, he experimented with street-art media, launching his first sticker campaign in 1989 with a crude portrait of André René Roussimoff, captioned Andre the Giant Has a Posse. He gained national attention and sold more than one million copies of another sticker with a refined version of the portrait and the single word Obey. A documentary short, André the Giant Has a Posse (1997; directed by Helen Stickler), and Fairey’s adroit use of the Internet further raised awareness of his instantly recognizable style—appropriated imagery reduced to strong graphic renderings in black, white, and red. Fairey’s subsequent design and marketing ventures—BLK/MRKT and Studio Number One—counted major corporations and rock bands as clients. [4]
Today, Shepard Fairey‘s fame goes way beyond the world of street art aficionados: his “OBEY” image has become a logo and invaded every major town in the world. Since his Obama poster Hope put him under the spotlight, he has undoubtedly been a hot topic in the art world! With a style inspired by communist propaganda, he is often noted due to his many collaborations with major multinational brands and corporations. Has success turned him into a sellout artist? We have will let you make up your own mind. In the meantime, we give you 10 interesting facts about him that you might not know! [5]
