SHEPARD FAIREY’S SUBVERSIVE OPTIMISM
Sarah Maisey talks to the famed artist about social injustice, the power of imagery and that Obama poster
The American artist discusses social injustice, the power of an image and that Obama poster
It is early morning in Los Angeles, and artist Shepard Fairey is explaining why he is unfazed by criticism of his work. “Reactions aren’t a focus group that’s going to make me change what I am doing,” he says with a laugh. Speaking ahead of his Future Mosaic exhibition at Opera Gallery in Dubai, which is on until April 15, the American artist, who found fame mixing street art with social commentary, is delighted that his work elicits strong opinions.
“I am a very open minded and compassionate person. Some of the images I have done around gun violence have been polarising, and drew a hostile reaction. Some of the negatives are so different from the way I think, I [had to] think: ‘What is a way to Trojan Horse my ideas past that person’s walls?’ There is little bit of psychological warfare that goes on,” he explains.
His career began in 1989, with a guerilla sticker campaign around Los Angeles that he describes as an “inside joke with a bunch of skateboarders and punk rock friends”. The stickers carried the image of a character Fairey dubbed Andre the Giant has a Posse, based on the real life French wrestler, whose features Fairey distilled into a crude, but oddly
likeable drawing. Randomly plastered around the city, they caught on.
As the project morphed into Obey Giant – with the same passive face painted onto water towers and the sides of buildings – its following shi ed into something bordering on obsession, and was soon picked up by local media. Fast forward 30 years, and the image is now recognised by millions around the world.
“Of course I had no way of knowing it would resonate in the way it has. And in a way, the very crude, innocent beginnings of the project were a great starting point.
“It opened my eyes to the fact that what we encounter in public spaces is generally controlled and manicured. Where are the individual bits of expression in the public sphere? And why is a very small threeinch sticker – a small act of defiance – so unsettling for some people?” This intellectual questioning is typical of the artist, and he continues to turn a spotlight on issues such as police brutality, racism and the greed of the corporate world.
With Future Mosaic marking Fairey’s first visit to the Middle East, he was clearly fired up about the prospect. “I have never been to anywhere in the Middle East, so this is a long overdue trip for me. Travelling is something that I really love to do. For me it’s one of the most important facets of me feeling like I am global citizen, rather than an ignorant American,” he says.
For many, Fairey is best known for his 2008 Hope poster, created for the then-Democratic presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama. Produced as a personal act of support for a man Fairey believed in politically, the image features Obama looking over the head of the viewer, with the word Hope appearing in block capitals. Startling in its simplicity, it captured the sense of optimism that Obama offered the American people.
“When I am creating an image, I am thinking about all the variables that have to be cautiously addressed to find the perfect storm, to achieve some critical mass. And for the Hope image, I wanted to do something that fell outside the conventional political imagery,” Fairey explains, adding that it needed to be “different enough to be fresh, but close enough to be palatable to the mainstream”.
Capturing a moment in the history of a country that felt ripe for change, the image quickly went viral, and was even adopted by the Democratic party itself, catapulting Fairey to international fame. While the artwork itself is now hailed as historic, and hangs in the Smithsonian Museum, Fairey is quick to deflect any praise.
“The feeling that people got watching Obama as an orator was so compelling, and I guess I caught that wave perfectly. I am not saying the image itself doesn’t have some strength, but the main person who gets the credit is Obama, for being Obama.”
While he was being feted around the world for the poster, however, Fairey faced personal push back from those he deemed allies, who accused him of betraying his street dissent roots. “In terms of my profile, yes it expanded my audience, but it also turned away some of my audience. I was very used to a lot of my audience just being people I could count on, that had
this history with street art and graffiti and rebellion and punk rock and hip-hop. They were my people. But they no longer considered me their people.”
Since the late 1980s, Fairey’s work has naturally evolved, yet still retains the sense of urgency that characterises graffiti. He still produces all the work himself, using a mix of stencils, spray cans and painting, and the images are bold and graphic. Created to convey a message quickly, many arrive with a large dose of wit.
O en drawing comparisons with anonymous English street artist Banksy for their shared use of irony, Fairey insists that humour is the best way to start difficult conversations. “Look at one of the greatest shapers of social discourse, [comedian] Sacha Baron Cohen. He finds a way to invite someone in that is unintimidating, underpinned by some pretty intellectual ideas. That’s part of the creativity, and it’s more fun that way.”
With images built on collaged backgrounds, printed with intricate patterns of chintzy florals, lotus petals and sacred mandalas, Fairey uses his deep knowledge of art and history to get his messages across. Figures are li ed from the American 1950s, while designs o en echo the Russian propaganda posters of the early 1900s. All, he explains, as a deliberate ploy to flip the narrative.
“[Americans were fed] so much propaganda about Russia. When I went to Moscow, I had an idea that it was going to be hard to get people to warm up to me. But when I got there, I realised people were super creative, open minded, kind and just like the people I like to hang out with in my neighbourhood.”
Fairey is equally keen to connect with those he meets in the UAE, as he aims to dispel misinformation back in the US. “Obviously, the Middle East is not monolithic, but the way a lot of people in the US try to characterise Arab nations, Muslims and the entire Middle East, it’s just painful how simplistic and frequently insulting it is.”
Part of that attempt to reach out is via a series of artworks of women wearing the hijab. When quizzed if he is aware such imagery might be seen as cliched, or even offensive, he is disarmingly open.
“The Arab Woman piece is a way of humanising Muslims, or Middle Eastern people, when they have been so dehumanised by a lot of Americans who are narrow-minded, fearful and Islamophobic.
“So really, I want people from the UAE to understand that this is gesture of global citizenship and a handshake from afar. But if the hijab is not tied the customary way in Dubai, I apologise. It is my clumsy way of saying to Americans: ‘Arab people have equal humanity’. And if you look in this woman’s eyes, that is an unassailable idea.”
Such a willingness to engage personally with an issue is perhaps one of Fairey’s greatest assets. Rather than dictating a point of view, he holds up a mirror, inviting viewers to examine their own behaviour. “You can only confront humanity with brutality if you have no conscious. A lot of people try to take the humanity out of the equation, and that is how they act inhumane. So, what I trying to do is force them to confront the humanity of the subject. And that’s what a lot of my work is about, hitting people emotionally to draw them into a conversation they wouldn’t have otherwise,” he explains.
In taking such a stance, Fairey joins the long list of people who have chosen to question the status quo, including the musicians Patti Smith, Bob Marley, Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer from The Clash, who have all used their platform to speak out.
“[When I first heard the lyrics of] Joe Strummer, I was: ‘Yes! There are other people out there who feel the way I feel, think the way I think!’”
In trying to highlight injustice, the artist is adamant that merely shouting louder than the opposition will never work, citing the intellectual dissent of late Justice of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “You can be a rebel without wearing a leather jacket, for sure,” he quips.
“That’s why the name of my show is Future Mosaic, because I have been building this mosaic, a little piece here, and a little piece there,” Fairey concludes. “So, I am hoping that people will see it all at once and have that ‘aha’ moment about what I have been trying to do all these years.”
I WANT PEOPLE FROM THE UAE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A GESTURE OF GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP