Shepard Fairey

Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a contemporary artist, graphic designer and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene [Tania Zittoun, "Transitions: Symbolic Resources in Development", IAP, 2006, p168. ISBN 1593112262] and became known initially for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. [ [http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/ Upcoming Exhibitions, SHEPARD FAIREY, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.] ] He usually omits his first name.

Life and work

Fairey created the "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign in 1989, while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). [Steven Heller, Véronique Vienne, "Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility", Allworth Communications Inc., 2003, p223. ISBN 1581152655] This later evolved into the "Obey Giant" campaign, which has grown via an international network of collaborators replicating Fairey's original designs. [Ian Noble, "Picture Perfect: Fusions of Illustration & Design", Rotovision, 2003, pp128-9. ISBN 2880467543] In a manifesto he wrote in 1990, and since posted on his website, he links his work with Heidegger's concept of phenomenology. [Steven Heller, Véronique Vienne, "Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility", Allworth Communications Inc., 2003, p224. ISBN 1581152655] His "Obey" Campaign draws from the John Carpenter movie "They Live" which starred pro wrestler Roddy Piper, taking a number of its slogans, including the "Obey" slogan, as well as the "This is Your God" slogan. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8WESKQ4QZU Youtube video] ] . Fairey has also spun off the OBEY clothing line from the original sticker campaign. [" [http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-ig-stylescout9dec09,1,6118289.story They Must Obey] ", STYLE SCOUT, "LA Times", December 9 2007.] He also uses the slogan "The Medium is the Message" borrowed from Marshall McLuhan.

Fairey graduated from RISD in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in illustration. After graduation, he founded a small printing business in Providence, RI called Alternate Graphics, specializing in tshirt and sticker silkscreens, which afforded Fairey the ability to continue pursuing his own artwork. While residing in Providence in 1994, Fairey met American filmmaker Helen Stickler, who had also attended Rhode Island School of Design and graduated with a film degree. The following spring, Stickler completed a short documentary film about Shepard and his work, titled "Andre the Giant has a Posse." The film premiered in the 1995 New York Underground Film Festival, and went on to play at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. It has been seen in more than 70 festivals and museums internationally.

Fairey was a founding partner along with Dave Kinsey and Phillip DeWolff of the design studio BLK/MRKT Inc. from 1997-2003 which specialised in guerilla marketing, and "the development of high-impact marketing campaigns."Steven Heller, Véronique Vienne, "Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility", Allworth Communications Inc., 2003, p225. ISBN 1581152655] Clients included Pepsi, Hasbro and Netscape.

In 2003 he founded the Studio Number One design agency. [http://www.studionumber-one.com/support1/about.html studionumber-one.com] ] The agency produced the cover work for the Black Eyed Peas's album "Monkey Business" and the poster for the film "Walk the Line". Fairey has also designed the covers for The Smashing Pumpkins' album "Zeitgeist", [ [http://obeygiant.com/post/the-smashing-pumpkins-team-with-shepard-fairey-for-%E2%80%98zeitgeist%E2%80%99-cover/ obeygiant.com] ] Flogging Molly's CD/DVD "Whiskey on a Sunday", and the Led Zeppelin compilation "Mothership".

In 2004, Fairey joined artists Robbie Conal and Mear One to create a series of "anti-war, anti-Bush" posters for a street art campaign called "Be the Revolution" for the art collective Post Gen. In 2005 Fairey collaborated with DJ Shadow on a box set, with t-shirts, stickers, prints, and a mix CD by Shadow. In 2005 also, he was a resident artist at the Contemporary Museum, Honolulu. In 2006, Fairey contributed eight vinyl etchings to a limited-edition series of 12" singles by alternative rock band Mission of Burma, and has also done work for Interpol.

In 2004, Shepard Fairey co-founded "Swindle Magazine" with Roger Gastman.

"Supply and Demand: The Art of Shepard Fairey," was released in 2006. In 2008, "Philosophy of Obey (Obey Giant): The Formative Years (1989 - 2008)", edited by Sarah Jaye Williams, was published by Nerve Books UK, and praised by Fairey. [ [http://obeygiant.com/post/the-philosophy-of-obey#more-767 "The philosophy of Obey"] , obeygiant.com. Retrieved 16 July 2008.]

In June 2007, Fairey opened his one man show entitled "E Pluribus Venom," at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery. The overtly political nature of Fairey's work in the show led to a bomb scare in which the thousands of gallery-goers had to be evacuated from the space. The show made the arts section front page in the "The New York Times". [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/arts/29bart.html "The New York Times"] ]

In addition to his successful graphic design career Shepard Fairey also DJ's at many clubs under the name DJ Diabetic and Emcee Insulin, as he has diabetes. [ [http://gothamist.com/2007/06/21/interview_shepa.php Shepard Fairey interview 21-06-07] ]

According to Erick Lyle, Fairey has cynically turned graffiti culture into a self-promoting ad campaign, turning street art into a cheap hustle that is no different from corporate advertising. [Erick Lyle in Josh MacPhee, Erik Reuland, "Realizing the Impossible: Art Against Authority", AK Press, 2007, p87. ISBN 1904859321] On the other hand, San Diego Union-Tribune art critic Robert L. Pincus says Fairey's, "is political art with a strong sense of visual style and emotional authenticity. Even in times when political art has ebbed, Fairey's has just the right balance of seriousness, irony and wit to fit the mood of the moment." [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20071230-9999-mz1a30art.html Social ferment not always reflected in fermentation of artworks] ] "Following the example set by gallery art, some street art is more about the concept than the art," writes The Walrus (magazine) contributor Nick Mount. “'Fuck Bush' isn’t an aesthetic; it’s an ethic. Shepard Fairey’s Obey Giant stickers and Akay’s Akayism posters are clever children of Duchamp, ironic conceptual art." [ [http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2008.09-art-the-renaissance-of-cute-nick-mount-graffiti-banksy-art The Renaissance of Cute, issue 2008.09] ]

Fairey currently resides in Los Angeles, California, with his wife Amanda and daughters Vivienne and Madeline. Fairey created a series of posters supporting Barack Obama's candidacy for President in 2008. [ [http://creativity-online.com/?action=news:article&newsId=124743&sectionId=behind_the_work Shepard Fairey: Obey Obama. The designer's endorsement as a striking poster series.] ] [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/16/AR2008051601017.html Obama's On-the-Wall Endorsement - washingtonpost.com ] ] He then created an exclusive design for Rock the Vote. He sits on the advisory board of Reaching to Embrace the Arts, a not-for-profit organization that provides art supplies to disadvantaged schools and students. [ [http://www.rtea.org/ Reaching to Embrace the Arts] ]

Appearances in other media

*Fairey was featured in "Overspray Magazine"'s Issue 06 on California Street Art.

*Shepard was on G4TechTv's "Icons" TV show

*The insert to the "" (2002) features artwork which was donated by Shepard Fairey for the fundraiser compilation.

*The loading screen for "Guitar Hero II" was done by Fairey.

*Some of his art is featured in levels in the "Tony Hawk's Underground" series, notably the Berlin level in "THUG 2".

*The game menu of "Tony Hawk's American Wasteland" also features some of Fairey's art.

*He is interviewed, and his work discussed in the 2008 documentary film Beautiful Losers

*In 2008 Fairey did an interview with juxtapoz magazine along side good friend Andy Howell (Founder of [http://www.artsprojekt.com Artsprojekt inc.] ) and lil jon.

*Fairey is featured in the 2005 video game .

Further reading

* "E Pluribus Venom" by Shepard Fairey (2008) Gingko Press.
* "Philosophy of Obey (Obey Giant): The Formative Years (1989 - 2008)", edited by Sarah Jaye Williams (2008), Nerve Books UK.
* "Obey: Supply & Demand, The Art of Shepard Fairey" by Shepard Fairey (2006), Gingko Press.
*

ee also

* Street art
* Culture Jamming

References

External links

* [http://www.obeygiant.com/ Official Obey Giant Website]
* [http://www.studionumber-one.com/ Studio Number One website]
* [http://www.formatmag.com/features/shepard-fairey/ Interview with Format Mag]
*cite web|title=The Duality of Humanity|url=http://www.whitewallssf.com/gallery.php?artist_id=78|publisher=WhiteWalls|location=San Francisco|accessdate=2008-09-21
* [http://www.fecalface.com/SF/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=757/ Interview with Manuel Bello]