Shepard Fairey: A False Hope?

Karissa Trimpe, ART 358

Many Americans today feel that President Barack Obama instills hope in a nation destined for chaos caused by the previous leader. They feel like a change in leadership is necessary to keep this nation from turmoil. They need hope. One contemporary artist, Frank Shepard Fairey, has attempted to portray this very hope through a patriotic rendition of the president. One could say that this man has capitalized on these expectations. This artist has attempted to visually communicate a sense of better things to come with his work, a zeitgeist. When the average American sees the “Hope” poster that Mr. Fairey is known for, he or she feels a sense of trust in the future. They might feel that this artist captured the true essence of what Obama’s campaign was all about, within a single portrait. Little do most people know that Mr. Fairey is nothing more than a thief. He has been stealing art and claiming it as his own for years. The “Hope” poster is just another example of his prowess as one of the most powerful, modern artists. This poster, depending on political and ethical considerations, can either instill hope, or distrust.

Frank Shepard Fairey, more commonly known as Shepard Fairey, is a street artist who was born in Charleston, South Carolina on February 15, 1970. Rather than following in his father’s footsteps as a physician, Fairey chose to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. His rebellious spirit and love for skateboarding was evident at a young age. At one point, Fairey even dropped out of high school after he was told he could not wear his favorite pair of Vans sneakers to school. Nevertheless, he eventually completed high school at the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts, and furthered his education at a well-known and competitive institution, the Rhode Island School of Design. While working on a bachelor’s degree of fine arts, he started a part-time job at a skateboarding shop, where the direction for his “guerrilla art” originated. It was at this time in Fairey’s life that he began to create stencils, after a friend had asked him to do so. He was quickly inspired by these stencils, and decided to take his new found passion to the streets. This move not only marked the beginning of his career, but his criminal record as well.

In 1989, Shepard Fairey began a sticker campaign called “Andre the Giant has a Posse,” which later evolved into his renowned “Obey Giant” campaign. This work featured Andre the Giant, a deceased wrestling superstar. What started as a crude joke directed at skater and hip-hop culture in Providence, Rhode Island, quickly spread all over the eastern United States by the early 1990s. These images were eventually spread to many urban centers all over the world. His work even inspired the creation of a documentary entitled “Andre the Giant has a Posse” by Helen Stickler. In 1995, Fairey combined this popular image with the word “Obey” after Titan Sports, Inc. threatened to sue him for using their trademarked name, “Andre the Giant.” This campaign represented the beginning of countless rebellious acts as he traveled from Providence to Boston and New York spreading his “propaganda” and frequently getting arrested for vandalism in the process.

Following his graduation from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in illustration, Shepard Fairey began a small printing business called Alternate Graphics. This shop specialized in t-shirt and sticker silkscreen designs, and the profits enabled him to continue to pursue his passion of street art. As his business continued to grow, he finally made the move from Providence, Rhode Island to San Diego, California in 1996. With partners Dave Kinsey and Phillip De Wolff, he formed a branding, marketing, and design company that targeted the action sports market, and was known as FBI, or First Bureau of Imagery. The rapid collapse of this firm led these entrepreneurs to open BLK/MRKT in 1999, which proved to be a much greater success. As the company expanded, it was moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, and even included a small art gallery. Fairey’s career was finally gaining momentum, and so was his love life. In 2001, Fairey married Amanda Ayala who became another business partner. Finally, in 2003, he was able to establish a professional split from Kinsey and take over the company, which he renamed Studio Number One.

Today, the reputation of Shepard Fairey has never been higher, thanks to a political piece inspired by Barack Obama. Fairey had been an avid fan of Obama for several years, which led him to create a series of work during the 2008 presidential campaign. In January 2008, Fairey literally created the posters overnight and began distributing them throughout America. The first screenprint poster was entitled Obama Progress, which quickly evolved into Obama Hope. This well-known piece was identical to the first, with the exception of the word “Progress” being replaced with “Hope.”

The series was based on an abstract portrayal of President Obama colored in red, white, and blue, and was immediately recognized by the public. The artwork was gaining popularity so rapidly that it was even noticed by Obama himself, who expressed his appreciation for Fairey in a letter shortly after the poster was released. This overnight success even scored Shepard Fairey a decent seat at the inauguration ceremony, of which he was very honored to attend. Life seemed to be going just perfect for the striving young artist at this point, but little did he know the beginning of his downfall was right around the corner.

Supporters of Fairey’s work label the Obama Hope poster as an inspiration, one that captures Obama’s ideals and potential as a strong leader for America. The popularity of this graphic metaphor exploded because it was able to visually communicate the “hope” these people had been searching for. However, many individuals are now beginning to question the authenticity of this hope. As it turns out, the portrait illustration for Fairey’s legendary poster series was based on a photograph taken by Mannie Garcia, while working for the Associated Press. In fact, the two portraits look virtually identical when they are compared side-by-side.

The obvious resemblance between these two works has instigated a considerable amount of controversy within the art community. If one closely observes the collection of work credited to the infamous Shepard Fairey, it quickly becomes evident that none of his work is truly original. For years, he has used the work of others as a template for his own. Many believe that he has taken the idea of “stenciling” much too far. This debate has left many unanswered questions on the minds of critics and enthusiasts alike. Should Shepard Fairey be labeled as an artist or a plagiarist? And if his designs are to be considered artwork, should the original artist benefit from Fairey’s work as well? According to AP, he is guilty of copyright infringement. The news agency has recently filed a lawsuit against Fairey, demanding an undisclosed amount of compensation for the copyrighted photograph that served as the basis for the Obama campaign posters.

Nevertheless, Shepard Fairey’s criminal record does not stop there. He recently admitted to the Boston Globe that he has been arrested at least 14 times. One of his most recent arrests occurred in February 2009 on the way to the opening night party for his exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art. In July 2009, he was sentenced to two years’ probation for images he had illegally posted on both public and private property. In this court case, he pleaded guilty to three charges of vandalism, while 11 other charges were dropped. Fairey was also fined $2000 to pay for the removal of the graffiti. Meanwhile, the dispute regarding the 2006 AP Photograph still stands as unresolved. Even after all these criminal charges, Shepard Fairey continues to vandalize the streets of America with graffiti he likes to call guerrilla art. He justifies his actions with the claim that “freedom of expression is the bedrock of our democracy” (Fairey).

Does the work of Shepard Fairey instill the message of hope or distrust? The verdict is left up to the viewer to decide. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that so many Americans are fooled everyday by popular images like the Obama Hope poster. If one is looking for an original artist that paints the sign of the times, their search will be in vain. It is nothing more than a false hope.

Bibliography

Caruso, Hwa Young. "The Art of Shepard Fairey: Questioning Everything." International Journal of Multicultural Education: 10(2008).

Fairey, Shepard. Obey: Supply & Demand,

The Art of Shepard Fairey. 2006.

Gaskell, Ivan. "Shepard Fairey." ArtUS. 26(2008): 42-43.

Harris, Rachel. "Shepard Fairey Gets Probation."

New York Times. 13 July 2009.

Valencia, Milton. "Street Artist Arrested on Way to Event at ICA." Boston Globe. 7 February 2009.

Vallen, Mark. "Obey Plagiarist Shepard Fairey." Art for a

Change. December 2007.