URBAN ART: SHEPARD FAIREY

There's a chance you may not know Shepard Fairey's name, but unless you've been without a TV or any kind of news in the last few months, you'll recognize his art shown at right.

Fairey's iconic image of President Barack Obama has been shown on newscasts, plastered on walls and telephone polls across the nation, and featured on magazine covers such as TIME and Esquire. Just last week, an original of the Obama HOPE image was also selected into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian. 

Two months ago while I was in LA, I came across an original Obama poster that had been stapled to a telephone pole in Silver Lake. I didn't want to pull down the poster with a lot of people around, so I awoke at 4 a.m. and drove back to the place where I'd seen the poster. When I went to take down the poster, I saw that the bottom of the poster (and every other other poster on the block) had been ripped off. Unlike the "HOPE" image above, the poster on the pole was the "OBEY" Obama poster. I can only assume that the individual who tore off the OBEY on the poster, thought that OBEY was referring to something derogatory, and didn't know that OBEY is actually Shepard Fairey's tag that he has become known for in the urban art world.

I took the image anyway and have it hanging in my design studio office. It reminds me of the campaign, the hope that a lot of people are looking toward for the future, and it is a reminder that not everyone who comes into contact with your art will understand or agree with it.

CHARACTER APPROVED

Check out this great video of Shepard Fairey explaining his art and processes.

Other urban artists and sites you should check out:

WK Interact (NY street artist)

Wooster Street Collective (Street art collective in NY)

100 Artworks (urban art from the UK or sale)

Art Crimes (Best of Graffiti art sites)

Have fun.

-Daniel