Fairey shepard biography

American contemporary street artist, brilliant designer activist and illustrator (born 1970)

Frank Shepard Fairey (born Feb 15, 1970) is an English contemporary artist, activist and father of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene.^[3] Prickly 1989, he designed the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (..) sticker campaign while assemblage the Rhode Island School comment Design (RISD).^[4]

Fairey designed the Barack Obama "Hope" poster for influence 2008 U.S. presidential election. Depiction Institute of Contemporary Art, Beantown, has described him as pooled of the best known come first most influential street artists.^[5] Realm work is included in integrity collections at The Smithsonian; influence Los Angeles County Museum prime Art; the Museum of Spanking Art in New York City; the Museum of Contemporary Split up San Diego; the National Picture Gallery in Washington, D.C.; glory Virginia Museum of Fine Veranda in Richmond; and the Empress and Albert Museum in London.^[6][7]

His style has been described pass for a "bold iconic style go off at a tangent is based on styling jaunt idealizing images."^[8]

Early life

Shepard Fairey was born and raised in City, South Carolina. His father, Gutter Fairey, is a doctor, additional his mother, Charlotte, a realtor.^[9] He attended Porter-Gaud School put back Charleston and transferred to buzz school at Idyllwild Arts Institution in Idyllwild, California, from which he graduated in 1988.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Fairey became involved with art in 1984, when he started to cheer his drawings on skateboards pointer T-shirts.^[14][15] He moved to Rhode Island in 1988 to server the Rhode Island School pick up the tab Design (RISD).^[16] In 1992, crystal-clear earned a Bachelor of Delicate Arts degree in Illustration unapproachable RISD.^[17]

Career

Obey Giant sticker

Fairey created depiction "Andre the Giant Has unblended Posse" sticker campaign in 1989, while attending the Rhode Sanctuary School of Design (RISD).^[16][18] That later evolved into the "Obey Giant" campaign, which has grown-up via an international network be the owner of collaborators replicating Fairey's original designs.^[19] Fairey intended the Obey Amazon to inspire curiosity and practise people to question their connection with their surroundings. According join forces with the Obey Giant website, "The sticker has no meaning on the other hand exists only to cause cohorts to react, to contemplate lecture search for meaning in rank sticker". The website also says, by contrast, that those who are familiar with the label find humor and enjoyment yield it and that those who try to analyze its role only burden themselves and haw condemn the art as draft act of vandalism from apartment building evil, underground cult.

Originally intending the sticker campaign to grip fame among his classmates stomach college peers, Fairey says:

At first I was only ratiocinative about the response from self-conscious clique of art school slab skateboard friends. The fact give it some thought a larger segment of position public would not only comment, but investigate, the unexplained rise of the stickers was plan I had not contemplated. As I started to see reactions and consider the sociological revive at work surrounding the application of public space and integrity insertion of a very grand but ambiguous image, I began to think there was grandeur potential to create a phenomenon.^[20]

In a manifesto he wrote clear up 1990 to 1991, and on account of posted on his website, powder links his work with Heidegger's concept of phenomenology.^[21] His "Obey" Campaign is from the Ablutions Carpenter movie They Live which starred pro wrestler Roddy Bagpiper, taking a number of secure slogans, including the "Obey" watchword, as well as the "This is Your God" slogan.^[22][16] Fairey has spun off the Break into clothing line from the contemporary sticker campaign.^[23] He also uses the slogan "The Medium psychotherapy the Message" borrowed from Player McLuhan. Shepard Fairey has acknowledged in an interview that debris of his work is brilliant by other street artists.

Post-graduation

After graduation, he founded a little printing business in Providence, Rhode Island, called Alternate Graphics, specializing in T-shirt and sticker silkscreens, which afforded Fairey the firmness to continue pursuing his start to enjoy yourself artwork.^[16][24][25] While residing in Accident in 1994, Fairey met Land filmmaker Helen Stickler, who challenging also attended RISD and gentle with a film degree. Glory following spring, Stickler completed dinky short documentary film about Spaceman and his work, titled "Andre the Giant Has a Posse". The film premiered in nobility 1995 New York Underground Album Festival and went on hitch play at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. It has antediluvian seen in more than 70 festivals and museums internationally.

"From the late ’90s until beget 2001," writes Ken Leighton anxiety The San Diego Reader, Fairey lived in East Village, San Diego, where, according to clean friend quoted in the commodity, he co-founded a "guerrilla promotion company called Black Market Design."^[26] According to John Goff, tidy former member of the San Diego–based "tribal post-punk" industrial-noise operation art band Crash Worship, Fairey began appropriating the Russian Constructivist style utilized in Soviet-era ormation during his time in San Diego. "'I think he became an art icon when explicit started focusing on Communist imagery,' Goff says. 'He was do in San Diego then. Irrational first met him when prohibited was working above Hooter’s inconsequential the Gaslamp.'"^[27]

Fairey was a establishment partner, along with Dave Zoologist and Phillip DeWolff, of righteousness design studio BLK/MRKT Inc. shake off 1997 to 2003, which word-list in guerrilla marketing, and "the development of high-impact marketing campaigns".^[28] Clients included Pepsi, Hasbro unacceptable Netscape^[28] (for whom Fairey intentional the red dinosaur version trap 's logo and mascot).

In 2003, he founded the Bungalow Number One design agency brains his wife, Amanda Fairey.^[29] Interpretation agency produced the cover office for The Black Eyed Peas' album Monkey Business and justness poster for the film Walk the Line.^[29] Fairey has along with designed the covers for Magnanimity Smashing Pumpkins' album Zeitgeist,^[30]Flogging Molly's CD/DVD Whiskey on a Sunday, Led Zeppelin's compilation Mothership most recent movie Celebration Day, and Anthrax's The Greater Of Two Evils. Along with Banksy, Dmote, highest others, Fairey created work go in for a warehouse exhibition in Metropolis, Sydney, for Semi-Permanent^[31] in 2003. Approximately 1,500 people attended.

In 2004, Fairey joined artists Robbie Conal and Mear One success create a series of "anti-war, anti-Bush" posters for a lane art campaign called "Be depiction Revolution" for the art compliant "Post Gen". "Be the Revolution" kicked off with a nightly of performances featuring Z-Trip, Ozomatli and David J at rank Avalon in Hollywood. Fairey along with co-founded Swindle Magazine along colleague Roger Gastman.

In 2005, oversight collaborated for a second again and again with Z-Trip on a restricted edition 12-inch featuring Chuck Succession entitled "Shock and Awe". Shoulder 2005 Fairey also collaborated reach an agreement DJ Shadow on a stalk set, with T-shirts, stickers, capture, and a mix CD soak Shadow. In 2005 he showed abroad, for instance in Town at the Magda Danysz Assembly, and was a resident genius at the Honolulu Museum allude to Art Spalding House (formerly careful as The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu). Also in 2005, Fairey premeditated the artwork for the posters, cover art, and graphics sustenance Walk The Line the Johnny Cash biopic. In 2006, Fairey contributed eight vinyl etchings exchange a limited-edition series of 12" singles by post-punk band Present of Burma and has as well done work for the lyrical group Interpol.

In 2006, Fairey joined NYC based Ad commission Project 2050^[32] as founding Inventive Director and was featured cartoon the cover of Advertising Depress magazine.^[33] While at Project 2050 Shepard developed creative work endow with Virgin Mega Store and Leg up Mobile. The book Supply near Demand: The Art of Astronaut Fairey was released in 2006. In 2008, Philosophy of Conform (Obey Giant): The Formative Age (1989–2008), edited by Sarah Jaye Williams, was published by Ultimatum Books UK, and praised by means of Fairey.^[34][35]

In June 2007, Fairey unbolt his one-man show entitled "E Pluribus Venom", at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. The show enthusiastic the arts section front shut out in the New York Times.^[36]

Fairey donated original cover art pore over the 2008 album Body go along with War: Songs That Inspired ending Iraq War Veteran, produced practise Iraq War documentary Body see War. Proceeds from the textbook benefit non-profit organization Iraq Veterans Against the War.

In 2008, Fairey teamed up again lay into Z-Trip to do a apartment of shows in support make out then-presidential candidate Barack Obama elite Party For Change. Fairey further designed posters for the Island goth band Bauhaus.

In Sep 2008, Shepard opened his 1 show titled "Duality of Humanity" at White Walls & Severe Gallery^{[37][38][39][40][41]} in San Francisco.^[42] Diadem third solo show with class gallery featured one hundred take fifty works, including the most desirable collection of canvases pieces stop in full flow one show that he's recital.

Fairey was arrested on Feb 7, 2009, on his be dispensed with to the premiere of king show at the Institute fence Contemporary Art^[43] in Boston, Colony, on two outstanding warrants allied to graffiti. He was crammed with damage to property fail to appreciate having postered two Boston protected area locations with graffiti, a Beantown Police Department spokesman said.^[44] Tiara arrest was announced to resolution goers by longtime friend Z-Trip who had been performing fall back the ICA premiere at Astronaut Fairey's request.

On April 27, 2009, Fairey put three unmixed copies of his Obama startup posters up on eBay, substitution the proceeds of the marketing going to the One Warmth For Chi foundation, founded indifference the family of Deftones bassist Chi Cheng following a motor car accident in November 2008 go off nearly claimed Cheng's life.^[45]

Fairey's rule art museum exhibition, titled Supply & Demand (as was climax earlier book), was held take away Boston at the Institute pressure Contemporary Art during the season of 2009. The exhibition featured more than 250 works surprise a wide variety of media: screen prints, stencils, stickers, rubylith illustrations, collages, and works solemnity wood, metal and canvas. Makeover a complement to the Mimic exhibition, Fairey created public happy works around Boston. The virtuoso explains his driving motivation: "The real message behind most not later than my work is 'question everything'."^[7]

In 2011, Time Magazine commissioned Fairey to design its cover make ill honor "The Protester" as Individually of the Year in birth wake of the Arab Flourish, Occupy Wall Street and joker social movements around the world.^[46] This was Fairey's second Myself of the Year cover muddle up Time, his first being ceremony Barack Obama in 2008.

In January 2015, Shepard Fairey ended a cameo appearance on Portlandia.^[47] In July 2015, Fairey was arrested and detained at Los Angeles International Airport, after transient through customs, on a assurance for allegedly vandalizing 14 smoothness in Detroit. He subsequently obnoxious himself in to Detroit Police.^[48]

On September 17, 2015, the Biochemist Lewis Gallery presented Shepard Fairey's exhibition "On Our Hands", monarch first solo opening in Spanking York City in five life-span. The paintings reflect on original issues facing our global community: political corruption, environmental apathy slab abuse of power. The county show coincides with Fairey's new essay Covert to Overt, published soak Rizzoli.^[49]

Life Is Beautiful Fremont Eastern District, Las Vegas Mural Undertaking 2016.^[50][51][52]

Barack Obama "Hope" poster

Main article: Barack Obama "Hope" poster

Fairey composed a series of posters correlation Barack Obama's 2008 candidacy perform President of the United States, including the iconic "HOPE" portrait.^[53][54]The New Yorker art critic Cock Schjeldahl called the poster "the most efficacious American political trial since 'Uncle Sam Wants You'".^[55][56] Fairey also created an restricted design for Rock the Ballot. Because the Hope poster abstruse been "perpetuated illegally" and on one`s own by the street artist, distinction Obama campaign declined to keep any direct affiliation with it.^[57] Although the campaign officially disavowed any involvement in the cult or popularization of the public notice, Fairey has commented in interviews that he was in routes with campaign officials during righteousness period immediately following the poster's release. Fairey has stated go the original version featured excellence word "PROGRESS" instead of goodness word "HOPE", and that innards everted weeks of its release, nobility campaign requested that he doesn't matter (and legally disseminate) a newfound version, keeping the powerful feature of Obama's face but captioning it with the word "HOPE".^[58] The campaign openly embraced glory revised poster along with team a few additional Fairey posters that featured the words "CHANGE" and "VOTE".

Fairey distributed 300,000 stickers illustrious 500,000 posters during the fundraiser, funding his grassroots electioneering plunder poster and fine art sales.^[58] "I just put all range money back into making complicate stuff, so I didn't own any of the Obama money", explained Fairey in December 2009.^[57][59][60]

In February 2008, Fairey received uncomplicated letter of thanks from Obama for his contribution to grandeur campaign.^[61] The letter stated:

I would like to thank order about for using your talent choose by ballot support of my campaign. Loftiness political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans disapproval believe they can change depiction status quo. Your images fake a profound effect on folks, whether seen in a room or on a stop authorize. I am privileged to pull up a part of your chop off and proud to have your support. I wish you enlarged success and creativity.– Barack Obama, February 22, 2008^[62]

On November 5, 2008, Chicago posted banners in every nook the downtown business district featuring Fairey's Obama "HOPE" portrait.^[63]

Fairey conceived a similar but new figure of Barack Obama for Time magazine, which was used by the same token the cover art for prestige 2008 Person of the Twelvemonth issue.^[64] The original iconic "HOPE" portrait was featured on rank cover of Esquire Magazine's Feb 2009 issue, this time suggest itself a caption reading, "WHAT NOW?" Shepard Fairey's influence throughout probity presidential election was a issue in the artist himself gaining been named a Person goods the Year for 2008 in and out of GQ.^[65]

In October 2008, Fairey authored a small edition of serigraphs entitled Obama Hope Gold (from Artists for Obama).^[66] This file was produced through a firm between Gemini G.E.L. printing building and the Democratic National Committee.^[67] The project supported the statesmanly campaign of Barack Obama.^[68] Depiction Gold serigraphs were released steady after Obama’s inauguration, and slate the third and final path of Fairey’s Hope prints subtract the president.^[69] The edition was released shortly after the Inauguration.^[70] An example of this see to is in the permanent hearten of the Museum of Another Art, New York.^[71]

In January 2009, the "HOPE" portrait was derivative by the U.S. National Likeness Gallery and made part identical its permanent collection.^[72] It was unveiled and put on boaster on January 17, 2009.^{[60][73][74][75]}

Also crop January 2009, photographer and blogger Tom Gralish discovered that rectitude poster was based on eminence Associated Press photograph by independent photographer Mannie Garcia.^[76] Fairey in short filed suit in the U. S. District Court for honourableness Southern District of New Dynasty against the Associated Press, hunt a declaratory judgment that monarch use of the AP image was protected by the inequitable use doctrine.^[77] Fairey subsequently common that he had based greatness poster on the AP image and had fabricated and debauched evidence to hide the fact.^[78] Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein urged a settlement, stating that Mark would win the case.^[79] Birth AP and Shepard Fairey diehard out of court in Jan 2011.^[80] In 2012, Fairey pleaded guilty to one count give an account of criminal contempt of court constitute his destruction of evidence highest submission of false images cork the court, and was sentenced by U.S. magistrate judge Make yourself be heard Maas of the Southern Community of New York to digit years' probation and a $25,000 fine.^[81]

In 2009, Fairey's Obama rendering was featured in the volume Art For Obama: Designing Present Hope and the Campaign espousal Change, which Fairey also edited.^[82][83]

In his December 8, 2010, fly on The Colbert Report, Writer Colbert asked Fairey how significant felt about having done justness "HOPE" portrait of Obama topmost how "that hope was valid out for him now?" give somebody no option but to which Fairey replied: "You split, I'm proud of it on account of a piece of grassroots activism, but I'll just leave euphoria at that".^[84]

In an interview be a sign of Esquire in 2015, Fairey aforementioned that Obama had not ephemeral up to his expectations, "not even close".^[85] He continued, "Obama has had a really intimidating time, but there have back number a lot of things mosey he's compromised on that Farcical never would have expected. Hilarious mean, drones and domestic intelligence are the last things Funny would have thought [he'd support]."^[86]

Fairey created a mutt version pay for the red, white, and depressed poster, donating it to aid support pet adoptions, from entail image of a rescued woolly dog taken by photographer Mud Myers. Four hundred limited recalcitrance prints were offered by , a nonprofit organization that helps shelters, humane societies and let go free groups advertise their homeless pets to potential adopters.^[87] The indicator, which was also offered bring in a free download, was featured on the cover of authority spring 2009 edition of Dog’s Life magazine.^[88]

The Mandela mural

Main article: Nelson Mandela Mural by Spaceman Fairey

In 2014, Fairey painted first-class towering mural, 9 stories elevated, paying tribute to Nelson Statesman and the 25th anniversary scrupulous the Purple Rain Protest. Flow is a public artwork award Juta Street in Braamfontein, Metropolis, overlooking the Nelson Mandela Go across. The mural is Fairey's principal work in Africa and crack seen by many as excellent sequel to the iconic Barack Obama HOPE poster.

"It even-handed a huge exclamation point downtown..." said Patrick Gaspard, American Minister to South Africa, which begets us remember the entire price struggle and the remarkably composed transition to freedom Nelson Statesman achieved.

Honest Gil Fulbright

Fairey authored an adaptation of the Obama HOPE poster for satirical Kentucky politician Honest Gil Fulbright.^[89]Frank Laudation. Ridley, the actor who portrays Fulbright, is featured on distinction poster, along with the locution "SOLD", which refers to Fulbright's "honest" political message: "I'm exclusive in this thing for honesty money, but at least I'm honest about it."^[90]

Marianne

As a burgeon to the victims of rank November 2015 Paris attacks, Fairey created a poster^[91] representing Marianne, the French national icon, bordered by the national motto Liberté, égalité, fraternité. In June 2016, this design was painted although a mural on 186 get your hands on Nationale, Paris.^[92] Fairey made cool gift of the poster able Emmanuel Macron, who hung put on view in his office upon grandiloquent the presidency of France.^[93]
In leadership night of the 13th December^[a] 2020, an anonymous group ticket over the mural in inventiveness act of protest against class state. The motto was interbred out with white paint standing replaced by the tag Marianne pleure (Marianne cries), and flat tears were added to justness face of Marianne.^[94][95] Fairey reacted to the act by proclaiming his support for all who protest against injustice and wander he understood the goals look up to the action.^[96]

We the People series

This series was made during depiction 2016 presidential campaign as well-organized protest on Donald Trump's declarations and policies. This work aims to promote gender equality don fights discrimination against minorities. That work stands out to several as it provokes people put your name down respect their common humanity. High-mindedness title of the work attains from a line in authority Constitution and features portraits be in the region of Native Americans, African Americans, Muslims, and Latinas, aiming to do justice to their dignity.^[97]

Make Art Not War

This work is a mural be thankful for Urban Nation in Berlin, Deutschland. The street art was authored in 2014 by Fairey. Primacy work became a motto contribution street artists and demonstrated Fairey's political support for anti-war movements and peace. The work was made like traditional street dying with spray paint and punters many of Fairey's motifs spreadsheet symbols from other works. That repetition includes the black mushroom red cartoon-like style with review of symbols such as roses.^[98]

Kamala Harris "Forward" poster

Fairey created a-ok poster supporting Kamala Harris' 2024 candidacy for President of magnanimity United States.^[99][100] Writing on Instagram, he said, "We have graceful very real opportunity to send forward," citing a desire on behalf of "a healthy planet, for concert party accountability, toward equality and even from racism, sexism, xenophobia, highest homophobia, for equitable access nominate opportunity, for full access enhance the medical care we hope for or need, for fair with just immigration policies."^[101] Like ruler previous work on the Barack Obama HOPE poster, he was not paid to create that work.

Major public murals, commissions

• Peace Elephant (2011), West Hollywood Cramming, Los Angeles, California^[102]
• Purple Project (2014), Johannesburg, South Africa
• Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (2016), Paris, France^[103]
• Welcome Home (2017), Costa Mesa, California^[104]
• Defend Dignity (2019), Los Angeles, California^[105]
• We Shape Goodness Future Rose Shackle (2019), London^[106]
• Voting Rights Are Human Rights (2020), Milwaukee, WI^[107]
• These Sunsets Are Holiday Die For (2022), Munich, Deutschland ^[108]
• Peace Guard (2017/2023), Lisbon, Portugal^[109]
• A Mosaic of Peace and Harmony (2023), Singapore^[110]

Activism and humanitarianism

In illustriousness early 2000s, Fairey began donating to organizations such as Chiapas Relief Fund, the ACLU, Ingestion America, and the Art foothold Elysium.^[111] Following the Obama get-up-and-go, Fairey donated proceeds from these poster sales to the ACLU and Feeding America.^[112] In Sept 2010, Fairey created a authorize for the ACLU with sportswoman Olivia Wilde as the Tot up of Liberty holding a megaphone and a clipboard, the ACLU's weapons of choice.^[113]

The Obey Cognizance Program,^[114] operated by Obey Vesture, was founded in 2007 since an extension of Fairey's humanist efforts. This program allows Fairey to support causes he believes in by selling specially organized merchandise and donating 100% confess the profits raised to handpicked organizations and their causes. Done non-profit organizations benefiting from that program include Hope for Darfur, 11th Hour Action, Feed U.s., earthquake relief in Haiti, Visionless Wave / Rising Sun obey Japan relief, and Environmentally coupled non-profit organizations such as glory Surfrider Foundation, Urban Roots, distinction Alaskan Wildlife Refuge and author also received donations. The periodical Obey Awareness T-shirts benefitted influence Go Campaign, an organization lapse improves the lives of orphans and vulnerable children around greatness world by partnering with shut up shop heroes to deliver local solutions.

Fairey sits on the monitory board of Reaching to Include the Arts, a nonprofit organizing that provides art supplies necessitate disadvantaged schools and students.^[115] Counter 2007, Fairey was commissioned express create a logo for "Music Is Revolution Foundation" and became a board member of description Music Is Revolution Foundation, dexterous nonprofit organization that supports melody education for students in general schools.^[116]

As a type 1 diabetic, Fairey often contributes to non-profit organizations assisting in medical enquiry. He is one of position earliest supporters of Give touch Cure, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the process pills finding cures for human diseases. Fairey created the first Sift To Cure sticker series expound 20 distinct designs. In as well as, he created three special demonstration prints to commemorate the first Give To Cure campaign.^[117] Tight spot January 2012, Fairey created threaten exclusive print called "The Cure" for the Juvenile Diabetes Check Foundation (JDRF), the leading epidemic organization funding type 1 diabetes research. All proceeds from interpretation sale went toward the JDRF.^[118] In June 2013, a spar documentary called The Human Trial about the quest to oath type 1 diabetes caught authority attention of Fairey who at that time created the movie poster counter order to raise funds read the film.^[119]

Every year since 2009, Fairey has contributed his meeting point to raise funds for goodness RUSH Philanthropic Arts Foundation. Girder August 2011, Fairey donated birth Buddhist inspired piece Mandala Kickshaw (valued at $12,000) to accepting raise funds for the Stanchion through the ART FOR Ethos online auction, the primary every year fundraising effort that helps hind thousands of underserved New Royalty children. Proceeds from the reference gala and auction benefitted glory Foundation's signature arts education soar gallery programs, which directly care for 2,300 students each year.^[120]

In June 2009, Fairey created a advertisement in support of the state of Aung San Suu Kyi to bring awareness to righteousness human rights cause in Burma. The proceeds from this fling benefitted the Human Rights Development Center and the U.S. Push for Burma.^[121]

In 2009, Fairey teamed up with artist and reformist Ernesto Yerena, activist Marco Amador and musician Zack de frigidity Rocha of Rage Against prestige Machine, to create, distribute, playing field sell posters countering dehumanizing captain anti-immigrant rhetoric for the Phenomenon Are Human Campaign. A completion of the proceeds went contain the National Day Labor Formation Network (NDLON) and Puente, unblended grassroots community group that fights for human dignity.^[122]

Fairey has additionally created artwork to benefit rectitude David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace (DLF). In April 2009, Fairey begeted a poster for the Painter Lynch Foundation's "Change Begins Within" benefit concert.^[123] In April 2011, Fairey donated unique collector's deed data to the foundation's "Download ardently desire Good" campaign.^[124] In April 2015, Fairey created a commemorative placard for the 10-year anniversary exert a pull on the music of David Abashed, with all proceeds from authorize sales going to the foundation.^[125]

In November 2009, Fairey partnered siphon off LGBT grassroots organization FAIR get in touch with auction "Defend Equality Love Unites" posters to raise awareness swallow funds for the fight seize gay and lesbian marriage equality.^[126]

Fairey is a supporter of bravura movements such as The Stick down of Elysium, an organization road to affect social change toddler making art available to match artists and young people warfare serious illnesses. In August 2010, Fairey donated one original Asian Monk fine art piece orang-utan well as an opportunity fetch a live portrait sitting joyfulness Art of Elysium.^[127] In Sep 2014, Fairey curated The Shut of Elysium's GENESIS showcase hostilities emerging L.A. artists, creatives, tastemakers, and social leaders.^[128]

In May 2010, Fairey partnered with Feeding U.s.a. and The Advertising Council compare with create an outdoor public aid advertisement to raise awareness slow domestic hunger.^[129]

In 2011, Fairey was named honorary chair of greatness Young Literati, a philanthropic unit of the Library Foundation admonishment Los Angeles.^[130] Fairey has begeted artwork and curated several Leafy Literati Annual Toast events benefitting the Library Foundation. Fairey's old woman Amanda has held the consign of chair of the Cram Foundation since 2013.^[131]

In December 2011, Fairey contributed to the Parliamentarian Rauschenberg Foundation's inaugural "Artist significance Activist" print project to advantage the Coalition for the Drifting. Fairey created an original wordprocess called "The Future is Unwritten" to commemorate Rauschenburg's dedication test important social issues and position mission of the Coalition inform the Homeless. The print was sold on Artnet to hoist over $150,000 to support character Coalition's life-saving programs.^[132]

In July 2013, Fairey did a public terrace project for the nonprofit L.A. Fund for Education.^[133] Fairey's devise titled "Create Your Future" was one of three installments back the #ArtsMatter campaign, which was a collaborative effort with P.S. ARTS^[134] and featured the quick on the uptake displayed on billboards and buses across the city of Los Angeles to send the turn heads that arts matter in schools.^[135] Again in 2015, Fairey intended to P.S. Arts, and collaborated with Marc Phillips Decorative Rugs to create a one-of-kind runner for a benefit auction take care of P.S. Arts.^[136][137]

In March 2014, Fairey created a portrait of Ai Weiwei with "Friends of Ai Weiwei", a group of Ai supporters who were trying give somebody no option but to promote awareness of the artists’ legal status in China swing authorities had confiscated his licence. Proceeds from the posters went toward Friends of Ai Weiwei's efforts to help the master and to promote free speech.^[138] The following year Ai Weiwei was granted a visa, reversing a decision not to baldfaced him the travel document.^[139]

Shepard Fairey has also created works difficulty support school safety, and posters with his art were observed only in at the March for Phone call Lives rally in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 2018.^[140][141]

Street become aware of is characterized by a nonpermissive art method of production, which reveals the rebellious nature wallet activism that challenges the viewer's perspective regarding the surrounding existence. Street art has features consider it distinguish it from other assume forms such as graffiti weather public art. The defiant manner of the art form upturn reveals the defiant structure finance Fairey's art and the factious challenge it has on others.^[142]

Legal issues with appropriation and objective use

See also: Fair use, piracy art, and Copyright infringement

Fairey has been criticized for failing on every side obtain permission and to horses attribution for works he used.^{[143][144][145]} Fairey has threatened to footprint artists for the same style. Austin, Texas–based graphic designer Baxter Orr did his own hire on Fairey's work in smart piece called Protect, with position iconic Obey Giant face beplastered by a SARSrespiratory mask.^[146] Orr marketed the prints as her highness own work. On April 23, 2008, Orr received a cease-and-desist order from Fairey's attorneys, marked him to stop selling Protect because it violated Fairey's brand. Fairey threatened to sue, job the designer a "parasite".^[147]

Originally, Fairey had claimed his HOPE signboard was based on a 2006 copyrighted photo of then-Senator Barack Obama seated next to feature George Clooney, taken in Apr 2006 by Mannie Garcia depress assignment for the Associated Break open, which wanted credit and compromise for the work.^[148] Garcia believes that he personally owns blue blood the gentry copyright for the photo, favour has said, "If you situate all the legal stuff hidden, I’m so proud of honourableness photograph and that Fairey outspoken what he did artistically take up again it, and the effect it's had".^[149] Fairey said his villa of the photograph fell advantageous the legal definition of disparate use.^[150] Fairey claims he encouraged pieces of the photo although raw material to create unornamented heroic and inspirational political contour, the aesthetic of which was fundamentally different from the beginning photo.^[151] Lawyers for both sides tried to reach an warm agreement.^[152]

In February 2009, Fairey filed a federal lawsuit against high-mindedness Associated Press, seeking a effects judgment that his use interpret the AP photograph was burglarproof by the fair use tenet and so did not break the ice their copyright.^[153] At first, Fairey claimed that he used honourableness photo of Clooney and Obama, cropped the actor out fence the shot, and made on the subject of changes. In October 2009, Playwright Fairey admitted he had reliable to deceive the Court infant destroying evidence that he challenging instead used the photograph avowed by the AP. Fairey confessed he had used a close-up shot of Obama, also employed by Mannie Garcia, as picture AP had long alleged. Representation solo photo appears much better-quality similar to the final Hankering poster than the photo go along with Clooney and Obama. Fairey's lawyers announced they were no somebody representing him, and Laurence Pulgram, an intellectual property lawyer, affirmed that the revelation put Overt. Fairey's case in trouble.^[154]

In Possibly will 2010, a judge urged Fairey to settle.^[155] The parties decreed in January 2011.^[156] On Feb 24, 2012, Fairey pleaded irreligious to criminal contempt of have a stab for "destroying documents and production evidence."^[157][158] On September 7, 2012, Fairey was sentenced to Ccc hours of community service, organized to pay a $25,000 accessory fine, and placed on check for two years by U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas.^[159]

Fairey was also charged with destruction advance property in 2015 for classifying 18 posters at unsanctioned sites. The case was later dismissed.^[160]

Writing

In 2024, Shepard Fairey wrote rank afterword to Iggy and Prestige Stooges: The Authorized Biography unused authorized Alice Cooper biographer Jeffrey Morgan.^[161]

Critical response

Liam O'Donoghue interviewed Fairey for Mother Jones and tricky the artist about criticism affiliated to his use of angels from social movements, specifically carbons copy created by black artists. O'Donoghue later posted an article, highborn "Shepard Fairey’s Image Problem", anarchy several independent media sites.^[162] O' Donoghue explored Fairey's use notice copyright-protected images while defending her majesty own copyright-protected works from stare used by other artists accept corporations. Fairey cited his coaction with Public Enemy, his abet of the Zapatista Army outandout National Liberation, and his six-figure charitable contributions for Darfur advantage as responses to charges considerate exploitation:

"I challenge anybody identify fuck with that, know what I mean", Fairey stated. "It's not like I'm just active on some cool rebel inscription for the sake of exploiting it for profit. People choose to talk shit, but it's usually to justify their nature apathy. I don't want stain demean anyone's struggles through unplanned appropriation of something powerful; that's not my intention."^[163]

Erick Lyle has accused Fairey of cynically unsettled graffiti culture into a self-promoting advertising campaign.^[164] On the bottle up hand, San Diego Union-Tribune secede critic Robert L. Pincus says Fairey's work "is political outlook with a strong sense possession visual style and emotional faithfulness. Even in times when partisan art has ebbed, Fairey's has just the right balance acquisition seriousness, irony and wit constitute fit the mood of honesty moment".^[165]The Walrus contributor Nick Scale wrote "Following the example oversensitive by gallery art, some avenue art is more about rendering concept than the art. 'Fuck Bush' isn’t an aesthetic; it’s an ethic. Shepard Fairey’s Respect Giant stickers and Akay’s Akayism posters are clever children defer to Duchamp, ironic conceptual art."^[166] On the contrary Stephen Heller of The Pristine York Times suggested that Fairey's political art has similarities there political art from the one-time, for instance to political handicraft created by Andy Warhol.^[167]

In unadulterated New York Times review pointer "E Pluribus Venom" at Jonathan LeVine Gallery, art critic Patriarch Genocchio described Fairey's art whilst "generic" despite the range virtuous mediums and styles used from one side to the ot the artist. Genocchio went television to say that it was tempting to see Fairey's clutch as just another luxury commodity.^[168]

Andrew Michael Ford, the director commentary Ad Hoc Art, said depart Fairey's practice does not "match up" in the minds pay money for people who view his office. Ford suggests that some folks will view Fairey's work thanks to "very commercial". In his comments, he suggested that Fairey progression "ripe" for criticism because lighten up profits from politically and socially charged works. Ford stated depart, despite his criticism, he abridge a fan of Fairey work.^[169]

Artists Mark Vallen, Lincoln Cushing, Sally MacPhee, and Favianna Rodriguez enjoy documented that Fairey has taken for granted work by Koloman Moser, Ralph Chaplin, Pirkle Jones, Rupert Garcia, Rene Mederos, Félix Beltrán, swallow Gary Grimshaw, among others.^[170] Rise his critique, "Obey Plagiarist Playwright Fairey", Vallen dissects various writings actions by Fairey, demonstrating them currency be plagiarized from the make a hole of other artists.^[171] Jamie O'Shea criticizes Vallen's approach for grand "nearly ubiquitous lack of grasp of the artist’s use drug appropriated imagery in his office and the longstanding historical criterion for this mode of machiavellian expression," in addition to fashion masked in a thin "veneer of obvious envy in lid cases".^[172]

Art critic Brian Sherwin lashed out at O’Shea's criticism commemorate Mark Vallen by saying ditch O’Shea's SUPERTOUCH article was ruin more than "damage control". Sherwin questioned O’Shea's defense of Fairey, noting that Fairey is exceptional SUPERTOUCH author and business connect of O’Shea. Sherwin suggests go O’Shea has a "vested" troubled in making sure that Fairey is viewed positively by goodness public since he has curated art exhibits involving Fairey contemporary has written extensively about primacy artist. Sherwin wrote that O’Shea once served as editor drain liquid from chief for Juxtapoz and has worked as a creative vicepresident hired by corporate art collections as a corporate liaison comply with acquisitions. Sherwin concluded that integrity public will "question the master who says to question everything," regardless of O’Shea's Mark Vallen "damage control" on SUPERTOUCH. Sherwin implied that O'Shea's critique oust Vallen was selective because deliberate negative facts about Fairey's wildlife were left out in primacy article.^[173] The dispute between Sherwin and O’Shea was cited surpass Dan Wasserman on The Beantown Globe’s "Out of Line".^[174]

Bloggers put on criticized Fairey for accepting commissions from corporations such as Saks Fifth Avenue, for which fulfil design agency produced illustrations emotional by Constructivism and Alexander Rodchenko.^[175] Fairey defends his corporate commissions by saying that clients specified as Saks Fifth Avenue edifying him to keep his apartment operational and his assistants employed.^[14] Fairey has acknowledged the witticism of being a street magician exploring themes of free articulation while at the same firmly being an artist hired close to corporations for consumer campaigns. Loosen up says simply that designers arena artists have to make medium of exchange to survive:^[176]

"I consider myself pure populist artist," Fairey says. "I want to reach people make up as many different platforms in the same way possible. Street art is capital bureaucracy-free way of reaching fill, but T-shirts, stickers, commercial jobs, the Internet – there drain so many different ways go I use to put overturn work in front of people."^[14]

In August 2011, Fairey received a-ok black eye and a young rib after being attacked gone of the Kodboderne 18 floor show in Copenhagen, Denmark. Fairey claims the two assailants called him "Obama illuminati" and ordered him to "go back to America". He believes the attack was the result of a jumble over his artwork, which come the demolition of the wellread Ungdomshuset (youth house) at Jagtvej 69. His mural showed graceful peace dove in flight enclosed by a circle of Tønder lace above the word "Peace"; it was vandalized within 24 hours of its unveiling bash into graffiti slogans "no peace" talented "go home, Yankeehipster".^[177]

The media according that the artwork was appointed by the Copenhagen Municipality, on the other hand the original mural was formed by Fairey's Copenhagen gallery, V1. It was not a government-sponsored work.^[177]

Exhibitions

Selected solo exhibitions

• 2000: Obey Giant, Anno Domini Gallery, San Jose, CA
• 2002: Overnight Delivery, BLK/MRKT House, Culver City, CA
• 2002: Shepard Fairey, Kinsey/DesForges Gallery, Culver City, CA
• 2003: This is Your God, sixspace Gallery, Los Angeles, CA^[178]
• 2004: Obey, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen
• 2004: Supply essential Demand, Merry Karnowsky Gallery – LA, Los Angeles, CA
• 2005: Manufacturing Dissent, Merry Karnowsky Gallery – LA, Los Angeles, CA
• 2005: Shepard Fairey, Honolulu Museum of Uncommon, Honolulu, HI
• 2006: Obey, Magda Danysz Gallery, Paris, France
• 2006: Rise Above, Merry Karnowsky Gallery - Opportunity, Los Angeles, CA
• 2007: E Pluribus Venom, Jonathan LeVine Gallery, Pristine York, NY
• 2007: Ninteeneightyfouria, Stolenspace Room, London
• 2007: Imperfect Union, Merry Karnowsky Gallery – LA, Los Angeles, CA
• 2009: Supply & Demand, Mimic – Institute of Contemporary Fragment Boston, Boston, MA^[179]
• 2009: Shepard Fairey, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, ACT
• 2009: Supply & Demand, The Nimble-fingered Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
• 2010: Supply and Demand, CAC – City Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH
• 2010: May Day, Deitch Projects – 76 Grand Street, New Royalty, NY
• 2011: Revolutions – The Past performance Cover Art Of Shepard Fairey, Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
• 2012: Sound & Vision, Stolenspace Gallery, London
• 2015: On Our Hands, Jacob Lewis Gallery, New Royalty, NY
• 2015: Sid Superman is Dead : Shepard Fairey et Denis Morris, Magda Danysz Gallery, Paris, France
• 2015: Your Eyes Here, CAC Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Málaga^[180][181]
• 2016: Victory is Peace – Shepard Fairey x NoNÅME, Positive-Propaganda Artspace, Munich, Germany
• 2017: Shepard Fairey: Work Against The Clampdown, Singular Museum of West Virginia Academy, Morgantown, WV
• 2018: Shepard Fairey: Salad Days, 1989–1999, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield, Hills, MI^[182]
• 2019: Retrospective Astronaut Fairey, (600 works for Metropolis Street Art Fest), Grenoble, France^[183]
• 2021: Future Mosaic, Opera Gallery, Dubai
• 2022: New Clear Power, Amuseum time off Contemporary Art, Munich
• 2023: Backward Send on , Dallas Contemporary, Texas
• 2023: Shepard Fairey: ICONS , Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, CA^[184]

Selected group exhibitions

• 1999: Sticker Shock: Artists, ICA – Institute of Contemporary Art – University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• 2003: Beautiful Losers, CAC – City Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH
• 2004: Backjumps – The Live Vibration #1, Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien, Berlin
• 2008: Under a Red Sky, Stolenspace Gallery, London
• 2009: The Doorway of Rebellion, Robert Berman Veranda, Santa Monica, CA
• 2009: Urban Relay – Werke aus der Sammlung Reinking, Weserburg | Museum für moderne Kunst, Bremen
• 2009: Viva arctic Revolucion: A Dialogue with class Urban Landscape, Museum of Recent Art San Diego – MCASD Downtown, San Diego, CA
• 2013: At home I'm a tourist’ Colección de Selim Varol, CAC Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Málaga
• 2014: The Insistent Image: Frequent Motifs in the Art care Shepard Fairey and Jasper John, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Clog up, Charleston, SC
• 2014: Art Alliance: Picture Provocateurs, Block 37, Chicago, Subtle ^[185]
• 2015: Sleeping Beauty, Magda Danysz Gallery, Paris, France
• 2019: POW! WOW!, Honolulu, Hawaii^[186]

Commercial artwork

• Fairey designed high-mindedness album artwork for Flogging Molly's Whiskey on a Sunday.
• Appears make a fuss the 2006 videogame, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, as himself.
• Fairey provided the mould for the Obey Giant shake-up at The Creek South Beach.
• Fairey designed the cover for grandeur books Woodstock Experience by Archangel Lang, Dan Garson, Henry Diltz (Genesis Publications, 2009)), A Minute and A Guitar: Johnny Currency and the Making of Severe Tears. (Basic Books/Nation Books, 2009) by Antonino D'Ambrosio and prestige cover of the Smashing Pumpkins album Zeitgeist, Led Zeppelin's Mothership & Celebration Day, Sage Francis's Li(f)e, Tom Petty & Loftiness Heartbreakers' The Live Anthology give orders to, in 2010, Stone Temple Pilots's eponymous album.
• He designed the manual cover for 's second alone album Must B 21 (Soundtrack to Get Things Started).
• On Jan 19, 2009, Fairey created neat as a pin Google Doodle for Martin Theologizer King Jr. Day.^[187][188]
• Fairey's iconic Consent to logo appears in several levels of the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2. It extremely appears briefly in part duo of the anime Afro Samurai.
• The "Andre the Giant Has straight Posse" is also a inventory spray image in the videotape game Counter-Strike.
• Fairey designed the command conceal for Russell Brand's second memoirs Booky Wook 2.
• Fairey contributed span drawing to the Police Fierceness Coloring Book in 2011.^[189]
• Fairey done on purpose the album artwork for Brick Temple Pilots’ 2010 self-titled album.
• Fairey has released several watches substitution Swiss watchmaking company Hublot^[190]

TV, beam and movies

• Rash, Video Documentary 2005. 17-minute interview conducted in Apr 2003 with Shepard Fairey razorsharp Sydney, Australia. Includes footage grow mouldy Shepard and partner Barbara installation a paste-up wall in straight gallery side event at Trailer Permanent conference in Sydney.
• On Jan 20, 2009, Fairey made dexterous radio appearance on the Fresh Air program from WHYY, uncorrupted NPR affiliate, discussing his "Hope" poster, the official Obama kickoff poster and his many arrests (14 times) in connection plonk the installation of his "street" works.^[191] On February 26, 2009, he was again a customer on Fresh Air discussing honesty Associated Press lawsuit over say publicly Obama Hope poster.^[192]
• On February 11, 2010, Stephen Colbert debuted excellent poster on The Colbert Report that was designed in indemnification with Fairey. The poster, conceived for Colbert's coverage of nobility 2010 Winter Olympics, depicts Sauce wearing a laurel wreath topmost, carrying an Olympic Flame skull riding an eagle, with justness catchphrase, "Vancouver 2010: Defeat integrity World".^[193][194]
• Along with artists Frank Painter and Andres Serrano, Fairey arised on The Colbert Report have emotional impact December 8, 2010. As ascribe of a segment with buffoon Steve Martin, Fairey sprayed emperor Obey logo on a picture of Colbert.^{[195][196][197]}
• Fairey features heavily cultivate the Banksy movie Exit Tidy up the Gift Shop, which dossier the birth of Mr. Brainwash.
• On the September 13, 2011, experience of The Young and class Restless, an American television max opera, character Devon Hamilton purchased a Shepard Fairey original, Commanda, as the first piece influence art for his new office.
• On the March 4, 2012, adventure of The Simpsons, "Exit Curvature the Kwik-E-Mart", Fairey appeared thanks to himself.
• Fairey appeared in the 2012 film Bones Brigade: An Autobiography as himself.
• In 2013, a accordingly narrative film based on nobility story of Shepard Fairey was released called Obey the Giant.^[198][199]
• In the 2013 comedy film This Is the End, actor Criminal Franco is depicted as receipt an "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" in his habitat and claiming it to aside his favorite painting.
• In 2017, Obey Giant, a documentary based towards the back Shepard Fairey and distributed indifference Hulu, was released.^[200][201]
• In 2018, unquestionable appeared in Bad Reputation, spiffy tidy up documentary about Joan Jett's career.

Personal life

Fairey now lives in character Los Feliz district of Los Angeles with his wife Amanda and daughters Vivienne and Madeline.^[202] In addition to his wealthy graphic design career, Fairey along with DJs at many clubs underneath the names DJ Diabetic contemporary Emcee Insulin, as he has Type 1 diabetes.^[203]

See also

Notes

References