Shepard Fairey

Boston, Mass - Just in the knick of time, I got to the ICA to see the Shepard Fairey exhibit, Supply & Demand. This guy generates a lot of controversy, and it was hard to withold an opinion until actually seeing the show (which has been in Boston since February). Here is why some people have a problem:
1 - Graffiti. He got his start as a street artist - plastering posters and stickers and paintings in places where (apparently) it wasn't wanted. It's illegal. He's a criminal.
Personally, I don't have a huge problem with this. I think street art can be interesting and even attractive - adding an undercurrent of creativity to the urban grit. In Fairey's case, it looks cool AND it asks probing questions. Certainly I'd rather look at the Obey giant than a billboard screaming at me to drink Heineken, even if the former is illegal and the latter is not.
2 - Plagiarism. Many of Fairey's best known works have borrowed images that are in the popular culture. Most famously, the Obama "Hope" poster is based on an AP photograph (the AP has filed a claim against Fairey, which currently being disputed in court).
In fact, many of Fairey's pieces reference photographs, advertisements and propaganda posters that were originally created by other artists. Click here to see some examples of this.
Nobody can contest the fact that Fairey's artwork borrows from other sources; but that is the whole point. He borrows images, many of which we are bombarded with on a daily basis, and he alters them in a way that forces the viewer to question their meaning. He borrows techniques and styles and uses them to convey unexpected or ironic messages. This juxtaposition between familiar and defiant is exactly what makes his work so powerful.
So again, some call this plagiarism, but I don't have a huge problem with it. Maybe Fairey should credit to the original artist, like a footnote. I think that would go a long way toward appeasing many of these artists, who probably never got nearly as much attention for their work as Fairey gets for his.
3 - Sell Out. Fairey started out as a renegade street artist, questioning authority, promoting peace and critiquing consumer culture. Now his art hangs in fancy galleries. He has applied the name "Obey" to a line of streetwear and skateboards. He has a steady stream of corporate clients.
Of all the criticisms, this is the one that I can't shake. I can't blame the guy for wanting to make a buck. Really, he deserves it. There are plenty of socially-responsible enterprises that are also financially successful; going "corporate" does not automatically invalidate his message. But when the message changes.... that invalidates the message. This is a marketing campaign that Fairey designed for Saks earlier this year.
Anyway, you gotta give the guy credit for generating a buzz. I have never witnessed so much excitement over an art exhibit in Boston. Everybody had an opinion... about art! According to artdaily.org, Supply & Demand has been the ICA's most popular exhibit to date, attracting upwards of 100,000 visitors.
Although I did not have super high expectations for the exhibit, I was impressed. The artwork was much more diverse than I expected. Sure, Andre the Giant made his presence known, but the themes were wide-ranging, incorporating poster art, murals, money and music. I think posters are an under-appreciated and under-utilized art form in our society (see my previous post about poster art in Poland), but this is obviously Fairey's strength. He uses styles and techniques (and some characters) from communist-era propaganda posters - a medium which is obviously close to my heart.
His message was also more diverse than I expected. The ubiquitous theme is "Obey". (Obey whom? you ask, which is exactly what Fairey wants to you question.) But his artwork addresses politics, war, environmentalism and fanaticism. He's not just spouting a slogan; I really felt like he wanted his viewers to think about these issues.
And not for nothing, most of his work is really cool to look at. Bold colors and two-dimensional images contrast with elaborately stencils that are layered on top of other patterns and colors. When this is a mural that covers an entire wall, the effect is pretty awesome, and that's speaking purely about aesthetics.
Incidentally, the ICA opened the Supply & Demand exhibit last February with a huge gala attended by some 700 people. Fairey himself was scheduled to DJ the party, except that he never showed up. He was detained on his way to the museum - arrested on two outstanding warrants for defacing public property.
You can't blame the Boston police for wanting to make an example out of Fairey. And frankly, he is a graffiti artist, so it comes with the territory, right? Part of his appeal is the fact that he's rebellious and he's out-there. Fairey should thank the police for reminding the public that he's a renegade (lest we forget).
Photos courtesy of obeygiant.com and art-for-change.org.