Shepard Fairey interviewed by Dave Navarro

[Barry Obama]

I think its interesting that Shephards whole deal was he went from making fake propaganda in order to 'wake people up' to making real propaganda to 'make people believe'.

In the end, the Borg get everyone.

I have spent a lot of time with Shep, and the Obama Social Realist imagery is NOT ironic.


food for thought for wormses.

[IVARTON]

Im not arguing over THIS shit! Im arguing about THAT shit!

[steve w]

:handsoverears:
LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA

[Barry Obama]

I am also going to say that a good 99% of the people that buy his stuff are not able to place the imagery in its 'proper' socio-semiotic-historical context. They merely see:

1: clean design
2: a connection to some weird 'youth culture'

Shep wins because he never makes you think about the imagery, its purely decorative, and therefore non threatening. There is no real message. It's perfect filler. He is also very good at selecting existing iconic imagery and cleaning it up with great presentation. His activity as a 'guerrilla wheatpaster/skater and good looks seals the deal.

He is like a great pop music performer.

I'm proud of him he is the logical end result of False Consumer Rebellion.

[Barry Obama]

oh and by the way

White House Lawyers Look to Limit Commercial Use of President - Yahoo! News

[steve w]

I agree 100%.

[micro]

Exactly.

I am also going to say that a good 99% of the people that buy his stuff are not able to place the imagery in its 'proper' socio-semiotic-historical context. They merely see:

1: clean design
2: a connection to some weird 'youth culture'

Shep wins because he never makes you think about the imagery, its purely decorative, and therefore non threatening. There is no real message. It's perfect filler. He is also very good at selecting existing iconic imagery and cleaning it up with great presentation. His activity as a 'guerrilla wheatpaster/skater and good looks seals the deal.

He is like a great pop music performer.

I'm proud of him he is the logical end result of False Consumer Rebellion.

[scrojo]

oh and by the way

White House Lawyers Look to Limit Commercial Use of President - Yahoo! News

crappy move. pretty long history of presidential merch. also what about parody merch ??? ( first amendment !!!! )

[WEINBERG]

There are a few things that do not sit well with me concerning Shepard. Here is Boston he has been in almost every media outlet due to his retrospective show at the ICA on top of the national media attention concerning the Obama posters. The thing that Krayloa commented about was the source of many of his images, while it would be legal if the art is in the public domain, slapping your logo on another artists protest art seems dubious. While many artists use existing imagery, Kozik comes to mind with the Hanna Barbera images, Kozik used the art in a much more subverted way. Sherpard seems pretty much passes it off as his own. It is tough to comment on his work without coming across as being jealous. I am not comparing the merits of his art against my own, I eek out a living as a graphic designer and my art is not known outside of my social circle. He seems like a nice enough person and but one look at the Saks 5th Ave ad campaign he loses of credibility. This is offensive on many levels:

Saks Fifth Avenue hires Shepard Fairey and Cleon Peterson to design spring marketing campaign

He is the Fall Out Boy of graphic arts. Having roots in punk rock that is bastardized by commercialism for mass consumption.

[Charles T. Duck]

Dave Navarro should buy less posters and more shirts.