Shepard Fairey

STOLEN SPACE

presents

SHEPARD FAIREY

SOUND & VISION

19^th October – 4^th November 2012

The Old Truman Brewery

StolenSpace Gallery are delighted to announce a solo exhibition of work by Shepard Fairey opening on 19^th October 2012. This will be Fairey’s second major London exhibition, following his collaboration with the Gallery in 2007. It will feature a range of new works including mixed media paintings on canvas, works on paper, retired stencils collages, rubylith cuts, and as well as serigraphs on wood, metal and paper

Entitled Sound and Vision, the exhibition title is taken from the David Bowie song of the same name. Bowie has been a major influence on Fairey, because he was able to master music and visual presentation with equal virtuosity. Music is an artistic medium that Fairey reveres almost more than he does visual art. He comments: “Music is visceral, but also has the additional powerful layers of the lyrics, with their content and politics, and the style, politics, and personalities of the musicians themselves. No matter how much I love art, or try to convince myself of its relevance in society, the fact remains that music is much more able to reach people’s hearts and minds.” The artist hopes to be able to induce in people, even a fraction of the emotion that hearing a new song or listening to a familiar one can evoke.

Sound and Vision, will incorporate a diverse array of mixed media works, which embody both the political and social influences on Fairey’s work, particularly that which is directly inspired by music. It is not only David Bowie, but also the Sex Pistols, Roxy Music, Gang of Four, the Clash and Metallica which have had an impact on Fairey’s work. To encourage viewers to experience an interaction between music and art, the artist will provide records from his own collection as well as customised vintage turntables to enable viewer listening. This section of the show is complemented by a display of eighty works which have the same 12×12” dimension as an LP sleeve. The artist will therefore use both sound and vision to connect with his audience.

Over the last five years the artist has seen a meteoric rise with a series of international projects and exhibitions. In 2008 his portrait of the then Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, with the message of ‘HOPE’ under the illustration, became an internationally recognised emblem of the campaign and a symbol political change for many. Since last exhibiting in London, Fairey has continued to progress with his art and with a/ 20 Year Retrospective museum exhibition that began at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston in 2009 and continued to the Warhol Museum and Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati. Last year, he was commissioned by TIME Magazine to design a cover in celebration of ‘The Protester’, an anonymous figure representative of momentous world demonstrations such as the Arab Spring and Occupy movement.

STOLENSPACE GALLERY
Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
London E1 6QL
United Kingdom

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