Shepard Fairey is one of the most famous artists in the world, and if you think about it, there aren't many artists who are famous in their lifetimes. In times' past, artists didn't get to live with their fame, their notoriety, the praise and scrutiny that comes with making art seen by man. We are living in a different era, art has sometimes permeated into popular culture and consciousness, and Fairey's' Obey Giant and Obama imagery are the rare instances where art becomes mega Pop Art, the kind found on tee shirts and on refrigerator magnets.
Fairey is a street artist, fine artist, designer, clothing brand owner, DJ, printmaker, father, husband and revered muralist. He makes art in the moment for a number of social justice causes, and creates studio work that is meticulous and bold and innovative. As we say in the introduction to Episode 02 of Unibrow Radio, for over 35 years, Fairey has been actively pursuing a balance between image and message, creating and exploring the symbiosis of how to make works where politics, music, poster design, skate culture can all exist in a single work. What he is often asking, is how an image can, in itself, be an active work of the past, present and future.
Recorded live at Fairey’s gallery, Subliminal Projects, during the run of his new show, MODULAR FREQUENCY, the artist talks about how he uses his own history in his work, the constant battle between reactive work and experimentation, finding ways to rest, and the many layers of influences that he’s drawn on to help develop his aesthetic. He constantly mentions he stands on the shoulders of those who came before him, and he hopes he has blazed a path for others to stand on his…
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