All posts tagged: Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey Says “Invent Your Future” in Miami’s Little Haiti

January 12, 2022 Artists

Leave it to Shepard Fairey to tell you that he’s not too cool for school. The anti-establishment critic of corruption and hypocrisy throughout our history and our political system still knows that we have to have tools if we want to make a positive change.

It’s a shame that the dropout rate for many schools is high, and that many schools don’t have the resources needed to effectively encourage and train students for the future. But the LA-based street artist knows that by holding up role models and celebrating positive contributions to culture, his murals can have a positive impact on the next gen.

Shepard Fairey. *“Invent Your Future”*. Little Haiti, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Here next to the track behind Miami Edison Senior High School in the neighborhood of Little Haiti, Fairey says “We all play a role in shaping the future, but high school is an especially important time in developing the tools to mold it.” He’s describing the new mural incorporating his graphic signature motifs, powerful personalities, and palette – including a fresh aqua that calls to mind the tropical connections between this neighborhood and the island from whence it gets its name.

Thanks to a program that has worked with the schools in the neighborhood for nearly a decade called The RAW Project, founded by Robert de los Rios and his partner Audrey Sykes, this mural joins many others by local and international street artists near here. Recent names on the roster inside and outside local halls of higher learning include Eric Skotnes, Jazz Guetta, Kai, Kevin Ledo, Sandra Chevalier, Hyland Mather, The Lost Object, Telmo Miel, Marina Capdavila, Mr. June, Niels ‘Shoe’ Meulman, Patrick Kane McGregor, and Wayne Horse.

As ever, Shepard had his sharpest hands on the can with him as his brilliant crew in Miami, including Dan Flores, Nic Bowers, Rob Zagula, and Luka Densmore.

Faile at GGA with BSA – Miami Art Week Marches On

December 2, 2021 Artists

Get in, get out, no one gets hurt. Our few days in Miami were full of adventure on the street and at parties and receptions for artists. The party rages on tonight and this weekend at the fairs and in the galleries and bars and streets of course, but our last events were interviewing Faile onstage at Wynwood Walls last night, going to the Museum of Graffiti 2^nd Anniversary party/opening for FUZI, and, well there was this thing with Shepard Fairey and Major Lazer and a guy proposing marriage to his girl before the crowd…

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (photo © Steven P. Harrington)

But really, where else but Wynwood do you see Blade and his lovely wife Portia on the street, or sit with Ron English and his son Mars on folding chairs directly on the street in front of his new pop-up, or have a hug with ever-sunny Elle in front of her lift, or hide in the shade with seven 1UP dudes across the street from their massive new space piece, or talk with Ket in the back yard with “Style Wars” playing on a large screen behind him and the DJ while a florescent colored Okuda marches by, or chase Lamour Supreme while he tries a one-wheel skateboard around a parking lot, nearly crashing into Crash who is in his cherry picker with Abstrk painting a wall? The dinner at Goldman Properties Monday night? Dude.

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (screengrab courtesy of Wynwood Walls)

We’re not really name-droppers, you know that, but honestly it was like a family reunion dinner with perfectly punctilious attention to detail over at Wynwood Walls this week – after two years of Covid fears killing everyone’s buzz. We saw Daze, Shoe, PichiAvo, Bordalo II, Jonone, Shepard Fairey, 1Up, Add Fuel, Case MacClaim, Nychos, Faile, Martha Cooper, Nika Kramer, Mantra, Ken Hiratsuka just to name a few – cavorting with collectors, cultural workers, fanboys, journalists, bloggers, academics, critics, bankers, gallerists, curators, museum people, real estate folks, photographers, dancers, silk climbing aerialists and hustlers of many flavors – and all the class of ’21 artists whom Jessica Goldman invited to paint this year. A Miami mélange, we’ll call it.

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (screengrab courtesy of Charlotte Pyatt)

We were even having dinner with Martha when a local stencilist named Gregg Rivero sat in an empty chair at the table with us to offer an array of small stencil works featuring graphically pornographic scenes – to choose from as a memento of Miami indubitably. Naturally, we carefully perused his entire collection of 20 or so spread-eagles, doggie-styles, Shanghai-swans, Mississippi-missionaries, Dutch-doors, bobbing-for-sausages, and lord-knows-what-else. After careful consideration and we each selected a favorite stencil and he autographed it. Just not sure what room to hang it in…

Our treasured part of the Miami art vortex ’21 was meeting some BSA fans and Faile fans mixed together at the artist talk hosted by Peter Tunney at GGA Gallery last night. An action-packed hour of pictures covering their 35 year friendship was on offer for the assembled – focused mainly of course on their 22 year professional career. What an amazing career of image-making it is too – and even though we were prepared, there are always surprises with such dynamic dudes who have parlayed an illegal street art career into a well-respected and pretty high profile career with intense collectors and fans of their simplest silk screens and works on paper to their wood puzzle boxes, wood paintings, toys, ripped paintings, and their very new, completely radical approach that breaks their own mold for this “Endless” exhibition. And need we say it, Faile have already released a number of NFTs of course – which some in the audience didn’t know that Faile had – but could have guessed since Faile pioneered interactive digital games that accompanied their analog works as early as 2010 when most people still didn’t even have a smart phone.

But we digress. Back in New York now and it’s grey and cold and unwelcoming, and of course we love it. Thanks Miami! See you soon.

Faile. Artists Panel. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. December 1, 2021. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The image below was taken in Wynwood, Miami. At the panel, with Faile, they talked about the process of making their art and one of the subjects was about ripping up posters from the street…. – and how their original name was Alife. Two blocks away we found these ripped posters advertising Alife.

Faile. Endless. Wynwood Walls/Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faile. *Endless*. Goldman Global Arts. Wynwood, Miami. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

FAILE: ENDLESS is currently on view at Goldman Global Arts Gallery at Wynwood Walls. Wynwood, Miami.

Print Release Today with OBEY! Martha Remixed by Shepard Courtesy BSA and UN

November 4, 2021 Artists

Today at 10:00 AM PDT Shepard Fairey will release his newest print and collaboration with Martha Cooper, “People’s Discontent”. Shepard’s long friendship with Martha has brought several collaborations throughout the years with Shepard remixing some of Martha’s most iconic photos from her Street Play series from the mid-’70s. The print already saw its European release in Berlin last Friday, October 30th at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin with us and Martha in attendance.

Martha Cooper poses with the print “People’s Discontent” in front of the original artwork by Shepard Fairey on display at the “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures” retrospective exhibition at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

“I teamed up with my good friend and documentary photographer, Martha Cooper, on a new print release called “People’s Discontent.” Martha Cooper has been photographing creative kids in action on city streets since the mid-1970s. I remixed one of Martha’s iconic photos from her book, Street Play, titled “Hitchhiking a Bus on Houston Street” that she shot in 1978 in the Lower East Side of New York City. There was no advertisement on the back of the bus in her original photo, and since disco was the rage in the late ’70s, I thought it made sense for me to add a disco radio station with the slogan, “Listen To The Sounds of People’s Disco.” I added the “DISCO-ntent” and the spraypaint can in the kid’s hand as if he sprayed that on there. It’s a nod to that era but also to what’s going on now with the unrest around social justice issues.”

“This limited edition print was first released through Urban Nation Museum in Berlin as part of their current show “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures” curated by Jaime Rojo and Steven P. Harrington of Brooklyn Street Art and will soon be up on my website this Thursday at 10 AM PT. Check it out!”
– Shepard Fairey

The stage is all set for the European release of the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

Mr. Markus Terboven, Co-Managing Director & Director at Gewobag introduces the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

Dr. Hans-Michael Brey, vice chairman of the non-profit foundation Berliner Leben at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

The audience in attendance listens to the speech given by Dr. Hans-Michael Brey, vice chairman of the non-profit foundation Berliner Leben at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

Martha Cooper, Steven P. Harrington, and Jaime Rojo speak at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “Peoples Disconten’t” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

Still image of Shepard Fairey speaking to the audience via video at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

Martha Cooper explains the nature, context, and history of the original image used by Shepard for the remix at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

Martha Cooper signed copies of the print for a brief period of time for the lucky fans in attendance at the Martha Cooper x Shepard Fairey print release “People’s Discontent” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin last Friday, October 30th. (photo © Nika Kramer for Urban Nation Berlin)

To purchase a copy of the print click HERE and if sold out click HERE.

“Peoples Discontent” Debuts with Video Greeting from Shepard / Martha Cooper Signed New Print at UN

October 30, 2021 Artists

BSA X UN X MARTHA COOPER X SHEPARD FAIREY

When we asked Shepard Fairey if he would be up for a new remix of a Martha Cooper photo for our exhibition celebrating her career, he quickly said yes. Not only did he create a new original piece of art based on one of her classic “Street Play” images to hang in the gallery of our “Marth Remix” section, but he and his excellent team have also produced a new print – 250 of which sold out in 20 minutes on the Urban Nation website last night.

Shepard Fairey. ⁠”People’s Discontent”⁠ 2020. ⁠75,00€ ⁠Screenprint on thick cream Speckletone paper. ⁠Limited Edition of 550. ⁠24 x 18 inches (61 x 46 cm)⁠ Embossed with Martha Cooper’s tag and Hand-signed & numbered by Shepard Fairey⁠

The good news is Shepard will be selling another block of them on November 4th, so watch his announcements on social media!

But we still had a long line of lucky buyers snaking through the museum last night waiting for their opportunity for Martha to counter-sign their print, which had already been signed by Shepard. Because Shepard himself couldn’t attend he sent a warm video message to guests at a ceremony we had celebrating the print.

Martha Cooper’s original photo as shown in the exhibition next to the original art by Shepard Fairey.

What a complete HONOR it is for us to introduce this unique collabo between Martha Cooper and Shepard Fairey to celebrate our curation of her very FIRST career-wide retrospective, now showing at Urban Nation museum until May of 2022.

Very special thanks to our beautiful partners at YAP Berlin for making this event happen.

Martha Cooper holding a print in the Remix section of “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures” at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. (photo © Nika Kramer)

Shepard Fairey. ⁠”People’s Discontent”. Detail.⁠ 2020. ⁠75,00€ ⁠Screenprint on thick cream Speckletone paper. ⁠Limited Edition of 550. ⁠24 x 18 inches (61 x 46 cm)⁠ Embossed with Martha Cooper’s tag and Hand-signed & numbered by Shepard Fairey⁠ (photo courtesy of Urban Nation)

Click HERE to purchase your print now or HERE to purchase your print on Nov. 4.

BSA Film Friday: 10.29.21

October 29, 2021 Artists, BSA Film Friday

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Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening:
1. Shepard Fairey Talks About New Collaboration with Martha Cooper During Studio Visit via New Deal
2. “Landless Stranded” by Pejac

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BSA Special Feature: Shepard Fairey Talks About New Collaboration with Martha Cooper During Studio Visit via New Deal

BSA is proud to debut a new collaborative print with Shepard Fairey and Shepard Fairey – a true honor really. Released by Urban Nation today it is a print made from a brand new original artwork commissioned for the Urban Nation Museum and our exhibition “Martha Cooper: Taking Pictures”.

During his development of the canvas last year Shepard was interviewed in Studio Number 2 by New Deal. See this video and you can learn a little about the new print going on sale today.

Shepard Fairey Studio Visit via New Deal

“Landless Stranded” by Pejac

As long as we’re in Berlin, we’ll be checking out PEJACs new show here this week and of course, we’ll be heading out to Holy Cross Church to see this powerful new public statement, “Landless Stranded.”

“As most people are familiar with distressing scenes involving refugees only through television images, it’s a bewildering sight to behold in an urban setting, high above street level. It’s as though reality has been dismantled in one location and anomalously constituted anew somewhere else,” says Pejac.

“Beyond The Streets” On Paper Opens in Southampton

July 15, 2021 Artists

This time of year, it is hard to find people in Manhattan on the weekends – they’re “weekending” in the Hamptons, darling.

Not exactly the original setting you might associate with graffiti, street art, hip-hop, punk rock, zines, and underground art culture but where else can curators Evan Pricco and Kim Stephens sell these works on paper while sipping cool drinks poolside?

“Beyond the Streets” carries the mobile party to Southampton Arts Center this Saturday with a wide swath of styles – 500 works from over 100 artists in an art fair-sized venue. It may remind you of the Urban Air Fair tried in Manhattan in summer 2017, but this one has something that one didn’t: Roger Gastman.

If it’s here, it’s because it is quality work and has a connection to the roots of these subcultural scenes usually as well. Expanding now to the more nebulous category of Contemporary, you may be surprised to see more accessible interpretive variations on the themes. Let’s see that paper, people.

Artists include: Action Bronson, Addam Yekutieli, agnès b, AIKO, André Saraiva, Andrew Schoultz, Andrew Thiele, Andy Rementer, Aryz, Bert Krak, Brandon Breaux, Broken Fingaz, Bryant Giles, Camille Walala, CES, Cey Adams, Charlie Ahearn, Chloe Early, Chris FREEDOM Pape, Clark Fox, Cody Hudson, Conor Harrington, Craig Costello, CRASH, DABSMYLA, Daniel Rich, David “Mr StarCity” White, DAZE, DEFER, Emily Manwaring, Eric Haze, Ermsy, Escif, FAILE, Faith XLVII, Fucci, Greg SPONE Lamarche, Gustavo Zermeno, Hilda Palafox, House 33, HuskMitNavn, Ian Reid, Icy & Sot, Jaime Muñoz, Jamilla Okuba, Jane Dickson, JEC*, Jeremy Shockley, Jillian Evelyn, JK5, John Konstantine, Julian Pace, KATSU, KC Ortiz, Kelsey Brookes, Khari Turner, Kime Buzzelli, LeRoy Neiman, Linas Garsys, Liz Flores, Lucy McLauchlan, Lujan Perez, Maripol, Mark Mothersbaugh, Martha Cooper, Marshall LaCount, Matt McCormick, Maya Hayuk, Michael Vasquez, MIKE 171, Mister CARTOON, Neena Ellora, Nehemiah Cisneros, Nettie Wakefield, NUNCA, Otto183, Paije Fuller, Paul Insect, POSE, Rebecca Morgan, Reko Rennie, Rello, Richard Colman, RISK, Ron English, Ryan McGinness, Sage Vaughn, Saladeen Johnson, Scott Campbell, Sean from Texas, Senon Williams, Shantell Martin, Shepard Fairey, SJK 171, Sofía Enriquez, SNOEMAN, Spacebrat, STASH, Steve ESPO Powers, SWOON, TAKI 183, The Perez Bros., Timothy Curtis, Todd James, Troy Lamarr Chew II, Umar Rashid, Victor Reyes, Wasted Rita, Wulffvnky, Yarrow Slaps, Yusuke Hanai, ZESER, ZOER and 45RPM.

BEYOND THE STREETS on PAPER
July 17—August 28, 2021
Southampton Arts Center, Southampton, New York, 11968

For more details, schedules, etc. click HERE

Shepard Fairey in Dubai: A Mosaic Future and a Solo Show at Opera

April 27, 2021 Artists

Shots today from last month’s Shepard Fairey “Future Mosaic” at Dubai’s Opera Gallery. With works on canvas, paper, wood, and metal, as well as examples of iconic images and repeated motifs from the breadth of his art and design history, Fairey was very much present for his first solo show here. In a grueling schedule of just 9 days he also managed to install two huge murals facing a skate park in a commercial district of the city, the d3 (Dubai Design District).

Shepard Fairey. *“Future Mosaic”*. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)

Rise Above Peace Dove and Rise Above Peace Fingers incorporate what appears as a richer vibrant palette and pulsing graphic interplay than previously, perhaps due to more dense hues and the fact that his core crew of Dan Flores, Luka Densmore, and Rob Zagula were on hand along with Jon and Marwan offering additional help. Staying clear of strident language or slogans, the new works are largely representational and universal in themes of “justice, peace and human rights.”

Shepard Fairey with the dream team ready to work. *“Future Mosaic”*. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)

Fairey withstood criticism on social media for even working in the region, it would appear, let alone lending his name to an effort that they saw as hypocritical in light of his previous vocal stances on human rights, for example.

He took to Instagram to address his critics, “I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but it’s not a perfect place, but perfection does not exist and certainly not in the US. However, without this experience, I would not have been able to engage in robust discussions with the great people I met in Dubai. There’s nothing more relevant to my inside-outside strategy than traveling there and doing public art conveying harmony and positivity.”

Shepard Fairey. *“Rise Above Peace Fingers”*. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)

Elsewhere in another post, he wrote, “It is very important for me to do public art when I travel because it engages people outside of the art world, but it is not easy to secure public walls in Dubai.”

The opportunity to show and share and sell your art is something we want for any artist. In the case of Fairey, judgment metrics would need to include his two decades of generous acts promoting and supporting all manner of environmental, social justice, and civic participation efforts. We’ll confidently observe that year after year, his impact can far outstrip the average street artist and certainly most art collectors by miles. We dare say he’s unmatched. Let that be your goal.

“The show was massive, with 159 works that utilized the gallery space with a rhythm of scale and concentration,” he says. “My art practice focuses on the work’s cumulative effect, both visually and conceptually, so I was pleased with the final result.”

Shepard Fairey. Skectch for *“Rise Above Peace Fingers”*. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)

Shepard Fairey. *“Rise Above Peace Dove”*. Dubai. UAE. March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy ObeyGiant.com / Photographer Jon Furlong)

COVID-19 365 Days Later; Art in the Streets That Narrated a Pandemic

March 13, 2021 Artists

What the hell just happened? Has it been a year? Or has it been 10 years? Or just one long nightmare/daymare? Or has it been 10 years? Did we already ask that?

In March 2020 we awoke to a world that was transforming before all of our eyes, yet we felt so cut-off from it and each other. The first days seem so long ago as we mark the first anniversary of the pandemic. Still, the initial shock of those days resonates in our chests so strongly that we confidently talk about a collective global trauma that has indelibly marked a generation.

Pobel. Stavanger, Norway. March 14, 2020. (photo © Tore Stale Moen)

From Stockholm to Mexico City to Barcelona to Bethlehem to New York to LA, BSA brought you street art that was responding with fear, derision, critique, hope, and humor to the never-static, always evolving barrage of Covid news. Stuck inside and afraid to expose ourselves to each other, we New Yorkers became accustomed to experiencing the outdoors only through our windows, connecting with neighbors we’ve never met who were also banging pots and pans or clapping and waving and yelling.

We listened to ambulances screaming past our windows every half hour or so during those first weeks, imagining the torn families, the terrified fellow New Yorkers now being rushed to the hospital and separated from their loved ones without a goodbye, gasping for air. We wondered if we would be next.

Jilly Ballistic and Sack Six. Manhattan, NYC. March 23, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

When we did go to the streets, they were empty – or nearly. In New York this was unheard of. In this bustling, noisy metropolis, we experienced a daily disconcerting quiet. That is, until the killing of George Floyd by cops finally pushed the anger/anxiety into the streets all summer.

The deadly hotspot of New York quelled, but the fires of Covid spread west, grabbing communities who thought they would avoid impact. At the same time, local, state, and national leaders fumbled and argued or famously callously ignored the desperation of citizens, occasionally admirably filling the shoes they were elected to occupy, often misstepping through no fault of their own.

Pure Genius. Manhattan, NYC. March 23, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We have no particular wisdom to offer you today beyond the obvious; this pandemic laid bare inequity, social and racial and class fault-lines, the shredded social net, the effect of institutional negligence, the ravages of 40 years of corporate privatization, and the power of community rising to the occasion to be in service to one another in ways that made us all more than proud.

Here are some of our favorite Covid-themed street art pieces from over the last year, a mere sampling of the artistic responses. Interspersed we paste screenshots of the daily events (via Wikipedia) in 2020 that shaped our lives, and our society.

We mourn the losses of family and friends and the broken hearts and minds in all of our communities. And we still believe in the power of art to heal and the power of love to balance our asymmetries.

Trusto Corp. Los Angeles, CA. March 26, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Lapiz. Hamburg, Germany. March 30th, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Tag Street Art. Tel-Aviv, Israel. March 31, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Phlegm. April 6, 2020. London, UK. (photo courtesy of the artist) Phlegm created a visual diary of his experience with the Pandemic. We published his diary HERE

Don Langrend for USA Today Network. On April 13, 2020, we published a compilation of political cartoons with views on the Pandemic. Click HERE to see the whole collection.

Alessio-B. Padua, Italy. April 15, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Banksy. London, UK. April 19, 2020. (photo Instagram)

Shepard Fairey. Los Angeles, CA. April 20, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Banksy “The Girl with a Pierced Eardrum” Bristol, UK. April 23, 2020. (photo © Reuters/Rebecca Naden)

Cake Stencils. Bethlehem, Israel. May 10, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Almost Over Keep Smiling. Manhattan, NY. May 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Captain Eyeliner. Manhattan, NY. May 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

SacSix. Manhattan, NY. May 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Oliver Rios. May 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Teo Vazquez. Barcelona, Spain. May 25, 2020. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Adam Fujita. Brooklyn, NYC. May 25, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. Queens, NYC. June 2nd. 2020. (photo © Just A Spectator)

Russian Doll NY. Manhattan, NYC. June 6, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Gianni Lee. Manhattan, NYC. June 13, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Various & Gould. Berlin, Germany. June 19, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artists)

Sara Lynne-Leo. Manhatttan, NYC. June 27, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Stikman. Manhatttan, NYC. June 27, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Unidentifed artist. Brooklyn, NYC. July 18, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

De Grupo. Manhattan, NYC. August 1, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sticker Maul. Manhatttan, NYC. August 6, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Fintan Magee. Queensland, Australia. August 16, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Persak. San Miguel De Allende, Mexico. August 23, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

Novy. Manhatttan, NYC. August 29, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Asbestos. Cork, Ireland. September 8, 2020. (photo courtesy of the artist)

1111 Army. Brooklyn, NYC. September 12, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Unidentified artist. Brooklyn, NYC. September 12, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Raddington Falls. Manhattan, NYC. September 26, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Faust. Manhattan, NYC. September 26, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Pure Genius. Manhattan, NYC. October 31, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

I Heart Graffiti. Manhattan, NYC. November 14, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

UFO 907 in collab with MUK 123. Manhattan, NYC. December 15, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The Creator. Manhattan, NYC. December 28, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

City Kitty. Manhattan, NYC. December 28, 2020. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Karma. Barcelona, Spain. January 4, 2020. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Pobel. Stavanger, Norway. February 11, 2021. (photo © Tore Stale Moen)

Aya Brown. Brooklyn, NYC. February 27, 2021. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Manhattan, NYC. March 06, 2021 (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Paolo Tolentino. Manhattan, NYC. March 07, 2021 (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

Unidentified artist. Manhattan, NYC. March 07, 2021 (photo @ Jaime Rojo)

As NYC went on complete lock-down and New Yorkers were ordered to remain in their homes in complete isolation the city’s residents organically joined together in a collective 7:00 pm ritual in support to the first responders. To the nurses, doctors, paramedics, trash collectors, public transportation, police, fire fighters, supermarkets workers etc…with their services and sacrifices we, the residents of this megalopolis were able to keep out hopes for brighter days to come.

Video of four former presidents urging people to “roll up your sleeve and do your part” and get the vaccine.

Shepard Fairey says “Action is worth more than words” with Marianne in Paris

February 16, 2021 Artists

“I actually side with people who oppose injustice,” says Shepard Fairey, “especially when it comes to human rights.”

He’s speaking about the recently vandalized mural of the famous Marianne produced by the artist named Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) in the 13th arrondissement of Paris a few years ago. In a high-profile act of defilement, the anonymous artists/activists who sprayed through the text and added tears to the figure at the end of 2020, captured in a video by Milan Poyet.

Shepard Fairey. *“Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite”*. Restored mural in collaboration with Galerie Itinerrance. Paris, France. (photo courtesy of the gallery)

Determined to reassert his narrative over his work, Fairey has restored the original beacon of confidence and optimism and added a teardrop to her visage – to acknowledge the actions of the collective as well as the fact that we are failing as a people in such obvious ways to honor these values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Shepard Fairey. *“Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite”*. Restored mural in collaboration with Galerie Itinerrance. Paris, France. (photo screen grab from the video)

In the end, these are only words, and they are meaningless unless you back them up with deeds. Fairey tells us that he wants actions to speak louder than that, so in coordination with Galerie Itinerrance, he is releasing a new print of this image Wednesday, February 17, 2021, and the profits will be entirely donated to the non-profit association “Les restos du coeur,” which fights daily for people in difficulty.

Find out more about the edition of 650 of the Marianne (#MariannePleure) by checking out the the Itinerrance.fr website and of course obeygiant.com

Labor Day 2020 and the Dire State of Everyday People

September 7, 2020 Artists

Today we celebrate American worker’s contributions to our society. The workforce is the engine moving our country to the realization of our dreams and goals. The men and women who get up every day to seek a decent living in this country are increasingly under assault by the corporation’s manipulation of people and profits. Our labor unions have been decimated and the workers’ rights chipped away little by little, or a lot by a lot. All of it began with Reagan and it hasn’t stopped since. Congress is beholden to special interests with most of our elected officials’ ears more attuned to the lobbyists’ demands roaming the halls of Congress than to the ordinary people’s plight for help for better wages, better work conditions, better parental leave, better health insurance.

Shepard Fairey. Los Angeles, CA 2011 (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The Pandemic has only exacerbated the already perilous conditions among the middle class and poor Americans. Most working-class individuals were already living paycheck to paycheck with little if any savings to confront personal, family crises. The poor have always counted on the safety net that the government has put in place to help alleviate their financial and health burdens but those services have been either privatized for-profit or totally eradicated. When Covid-19 took hold of the whole world and Trump made the situation in the USA worse, the majority of Americans have found themselves steps removed from the economic precipice, or pushed into it. Strangely, Democrats also are not coming to the rescue.

There are many lessons to be learned from this Pandemic, one of them will undoubtedly be the abysmal difference between those with money and those without it to confront this crisis. The rich are getting incredibly richer and the poor are getting poorer. Lockdown has been difficult for all of us but certainly easier for those without financial difficulties.

Almost 30 million Americans have lost their jobs, and their hopes of getting them back are slimmer by the week. If there is to be an economic recovery in this country the divisions of who’ll benefit from said recovery will be sharply divided. While the stock market has hit record levels of wealth, ordinary Americans have seen greater inequality. So you might wonder, what are we celebrating today? Our workforce is in tatters and our service economy has been decimated.

Shepard Fairey made the works shown above in LA almost a decade ago, and his message resonates even stronger today.

BSA Film Friday: 08.28.20

August 28, 2020 Artists, BSA Film Friday

Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities.

Now screening :
1. Plain Brutality Again: Jacob Blake.
2. INDECLINE: Get Dead – Pepper Spray
3. Shepard Fairey: Arts Vote 2020

BSA Special Feature: Plain Brutality Again: Jacob Blake

The violence against black people continues. The latest shooting of a black American citizen by the police took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin where a police officer shot Jacob Blake on Sunday.

Mr. Blake, a father, a son, a brother, and uncle, was shot seven times by the police as he leaned into the driver’s seat of his car resulting in Mr. Blake being paralyzed and unable to walk and under intensive care at the hospital. Yet he is being handcuffed to his bed. Mr. Blake was not carrying a weapon.

Are we only to add his name to the endless list of black and brown people brutalized and killed? Here we post a recent short film that examines this moment in American history as well as through the lens of system racism.

Voices from the Black Lives Matters Protests ( A short film) Vanity Fair

INDECLINE: Get Dead – Pepper Spray

An amalgam of blinding rage and graffiti, anti-authoritarian self-destructive vandalism melded into a demand for the end of state-sponsored violence played out to a raspy-voiced tirade and gutter-crunch guitars and drums. Many of society’s contradictions are here on display for all to see.

Shepard Fairey: Arts Vote 2020

For more information on ARTSVOTE click HERE.

Street Artists Fairey and Swoon Among Those Saying “Remember What They Did”

August 27, 2020 Artists

Artists Shine Light on Trump, GOP Atrocities in Emotionally-Charged New Billboard, Street Art Campaign

The billboards are going up in Detroit, Michigan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Phoenix, Arizona – all so-called “battleground” states for this years presidential election. Using their talent as street artists to draw attention in public, this group of billboards is grabbing the attention of passersby with aesthetics as well as content.

Rafael Lopez. *“I don’t care”* (photo courtesy of RememberWhatTheyDid.com)

In a campaign funded by Collective Super PAC, the SuperPAC affiliate of The Collective PAC, a number of street artists as well as artists from other genres and practices are lending their individual skills to remind potential voters what has already been done – with a warning that four more years would march us straight off a cliff, in their opinion.

Artists Shepard Fairey, Nekisha Durrett, Nate Lewis, Rafael Lopez, Robert Russell, Rob Sheridan, and Swoon each take on their variation of the messages on topics like police brutality, racism, hate speech, immigration and the Coronavirus pandemic. Some are simply dedicated to controversial statements made by Trump and others on his team.

Swoon. *“A beautiful picture”* (photo courtesy of RememberWhatTheyDid.com)

“Our message is simple: Remember what they did and vote them out,” says organizer Robin Bell, whose known for his projections on the façade of the Trump Hotel.

For Shepard Fairey, it was the irony that this spring and early summer Trump was trying to solve our problems with police brutality with, uh, police brutality.

Nate Lewis. *“…that’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope.”* (photo courtesy of RememberWhatTheyDid.com)

“My art piece is a reminder that while the American public was protesting in the streets, in record numbers, against racism and police brutality, Donald Trump was encouraging police brutality against the protesters, reinforcing the very same problems within law enforcement and the criminal justice systems the protesters were demanding to be reformed,” says Fairey. “This image implies that the police are supposed to be peacekeepers, not warriors, and that Donald Trump is on the wrong side of social justice and the wrong side of history!”

Shepard Fairey. *“When The Looting Starts The Shooting Starts”* (photo courtesy of RememberWhatTheyDid.com)

The images are stark, sometimes shocking, but then so are the times they are documenting – and street art is often holding a mirror up to society. “Life imitates art, and the images we see have a direct impact on our democracy,” says Quentin James, Founder and President of The Collective.

As the economy continues to deflate and the Greater Depression is waiting to be triggered by a crash, not only will we see more street art, we’ll depend on it as tea leaves to read about ourselves and hopefully remember what we all did (and didn’t), so we can learn from it.

Nekisha Durrett. *“We must build upon our heritage”* (photo courtesy of RememberWhatTheyDid.com)

Robert Rusell. *“Fine people on both sides”* (photo courtesy of RememberWhatTheyDid.com)

Rob Sheridan. *“Even if the world goes to hell in a handbasket, I wont lose a penny”* (photo courtesy of RememberWhatTheyDid.com)

The RemememberWhatTheyDid campaign is a project of Artists United for Change.

To sponsor a billboard and/or to register to vote click HERE

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