Shepard Fairey - Obey Giant

Shepard Fairey (1970) is regarded as one of the most important and prolific contemporary graphic and urban artists. Acknowledged pioneer in the use of stickers and posters as mediums for the dissemination of a new iconographic aesthetics, the American artist’s visual language combines revolutionary propaganda techniques, elements of contemporary pop culture, and the practice of appropriating the public space characteristic of graffiti and urban art. Strongly influenced by the DIY ethic associated with the skateboarding and hardcore punk scenes, he started out in 1989 with a massive dissemination campaign of stickers that reproduced the figure of the wrestler Andre the Giant, which took on iconic contours. In 1995 this would evolve into another art campaign with a new iconic figure accompanied by the slogan “OBEY”. He is the author of a vast number of art interventions in the public space in multiple countries with mediums spanning from collage to mural painting, as well as a graphic and visual body of works that makes use of screen printing, stencilling, painting, collage, and sculpture, among many others. In 2008 he gained considerable attention after creating the iconic “Hope” poster as a tool of grassroots activism during Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign. He has been exhibiting his work regularly in solo and group shows since 1993 and is represented in numerous public and private collections in various countries.