OBEY SHEPARD FAIREY LARGE STICKER

OBEY SHEPARD FAIREY LARGE STICKER

Shepard Fairey (American, born February 15, 1970 in Charlestion) is a renowned graphic artist, famous for his work on the images of André The Giant and the word obey. Fairey was born in South Carolina and became interested in art in 1984 when he began using his designs on T-shirts and skateboards. Fairey’s father is a doctor and his mother is a real estate agent. The artist studied at the Idyllwild Arts Academy in Palm Springs, California, graduating in 1988 and receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence in 1992.

While studying, Fairey worked part-time at a skateboard shop; This job is suitable for the budding artist since their interests are focused on street culture and graffiti. At this time, the artist was also interested in punk music and when a friend asked him to explain the creation of a stencil, he chose the commonplace image of André The Giant found in a newspaper advertisement for the demonstration. Soon after, Fairey used graffiti art to introduce his works to the street. Two of Fairey’s famous pieces are Obey (1992) and Hope (2008), which is an iconic portrait of US President Barack Obama that Fairey created during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Fairey is involved in both individual and group exhibitions in different locations. He held solo exhibitions at Capsule in Birmingham (2000), the Kantor Gallery Window in New York (2003) and the Merry Karnosky Gallery in Los Angeles (2007). Exhibitions at CPOP Gallery in Detroit (2001), Ducky Waddles Emporium in Encinitas (2004) and OXOP Gallery in Minneapolis (2006) are among the group exhibitions in which he participates. Fairey received the Brit Insurance Design of the Year Award in 2009 for his Hope poster. The artist is at the center of controversies that he uses the work of other artists without their permission. Fairey received an order from Time Magazine in 2011 to create the magazine’s cover. Fairey is represented by Irvine Contemporary gallery in Washington, DC. The artist lives and works in Los Angeles.