Giant Art
By: Nova Heitman
Shepard Fairey is a fine artist, street artist, and activist. Many know Fairey as the “Obey Giant,” and today we will look into why that is. He was born on February 15, 1970, in Charleston, SC. In Fairey’s young adulthood, he discovered skateboarding and punk rock music, which led him to his love of art. During this time in his life, he began designing T-shirts, stickers, band posters and would eventually start to vandalize. Although Fairey was a rebel, he still took the arts very seriously. He graduated from the Idyllwild Arts Academy in 1988 and received his bachelor’s in fine arts from Rhode Island School of Design in 1992.
Andre the Giant was a famous French wrestler who may be best known for his role in Princess Bride. The iconic wrestler’s face was used in the upbringing of Fairey’s career. Fairey had a friend who was trying to come up with a design and tried to suggest Andre the Giant as the subject. Fairey’s friend thought that was an absurd idea, but Fairey saw its potential.
On the left, is the logo for Shepard Fairey’s skateboarding and streetwear company, OBEY. Fairey picked the word, “obey,” to make people question their surroundings. The sticker and the word are meant to have no meaning, but to make the viewer question their meaning.
In 2008, Shepard created a design of Former President Barack Obama, in support of his campaign. It was also a commission for Time’s Magazine’s Person of the Year cover. The reference Fairey used was a photograph taken by Mannie Garcia. Garcia ended up suing Fairey for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was a 2-year battle, and fortunately, both parties are in agreement. Fairey and Mannie agreed to share the rights of the Obama “Hope” Poster.
Fairey was commissioned by a nonprofit organization, Amplifier, to create poster designs for a Nonpartisan campaign that was meant to start a conversation about American identity and values. This campaign was also in protest of Former President Donald Trump. A Muslim woman, a black child, and a Latina woman were all featured as the subjects of the posters. These people represent groups in which Trump has criticized. It is also important to note that each person was photographed by a person of their same cultural and/or racial identity. “We the People” was used as the title and phrase of this series to give an ode to the U.S. Constitution.
Honolulu features an art district called Kaka’ako, and thanks to POW!WOW!Worldwide, Fairey was able to showcase a mural there. This mural addresses global warming and preserving the environment for future generations. The only aspect of this piece that really conveys this message is the ocean view and the oil rig in the background of it.
In 2014, Fairey created an 8-story mural of Nelson Mandela. This piece is featured in Johannesburg and is on Juta Street. All of the other works we have looked at shared the same primary color palette. Fairey’s mural of Mandela was in the complementary colors, violet and yellow. The mural states the words, “The Purple Shall Govern,” which is in remembrance of the 1989 Purple Rain Protest (anti-apartheid) in Cape Town.
Finally, we will take a look at “Make Art, Not War.” This piece was created by Fairey in 2014 and is the alternate phrase to the infamous 1960s mantra, “make love, not war.” Fairey’s piece is meant to encourage creative acts, not destructive ones.