Shepard Fairey aka OBEY
The lowdown on Shepard Fairey aka OBEY
Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary artist, graphic designer and activist based in Los Angeles, known for the OBEY GIANT campaign and politically charged imagery. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, he emerged from skateboarding and street culture before creating the Andre the Giant Has a Posse sticker in 1989, which later evolved into OBEY. His work combines propaganda aesthetics, portraiture, bold typography and limited colour palettes to examine power, dissent, consumerism and social justice. Working across murals, screen prints, paintings and public campaigns, Fairey became internationally recognised for his 2008 HOPE portrait of Barack Obama and remains a major figure in contemporary street art.
