Obey Giant Headlines

Houston and Bowery Wall

If you are in New York please come by and check out the mural we just finished. It is on the corner of Houston and Bowery. The mural will be up for six months to promote the May Day show here in NY at Deitch projects. If you see us around New York, don’t be afraid to say hello. Some of us are very friendly, Especially the guy in the orange hat.

We have some more photos on facebook.

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City Kids Foundation Silver Anniversary Block Party

I am more than honored to be a part of the City Kids Foundation Silver Anniversary Block Party. This year, I will be creating a mural with 150 young people from the program, continuing the tradition Keith Haring started with the foundation in the 80s. The mural’s theme is “A Positive Thought Cannot Be Denied,” and the young people and I have collaborated on a vision that explores issues around teen violence, education, human rights and environmental sustainability.

If you are in the New York area, please join me and the City Kids, Sunday, May 2nd from 12-6 pm for the event. It will take place on Leonard Street, between Church and West Broadway in Lower Manhattan and should be a great day. There will also be music and performances; the City Kids are amazingly talented. Please support!

For more information on the City Kids Foundation, May 2nd’s event and how you can volunteer, please visit www.citykids.com.

– Shepard

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MAY DAY CALLING

Antonino D’Ambrosio, who has collaborated with Shepard before on Heartbeat and a Guitar and Let Fury have the Hour, was sent some first look images from Shepard’s upcoming MAY DAY exhibition.  Antonino with his familiarity of Shepard’s musical and political background wrote a great and insightful piece about the artwork.  Please click more to READ what Antonino had to say.

IN ADDITION, the D’Ambrosio piece will be featured on the back side of a MAY DAY FLAG poster that will be given away to the first 300 people who attend the MAY DAY opening on May 1st.  The poster will be signed by Shepard.

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Brooklyn Museum Conversation & Book Signing

For all those who want to get a little bit of the OBEY experience before May Day.  Shepard will be speaking and having a book signing at the Brooklyn Museum this Sunday.

Program is free with Museum admission. Only books purchased at the Museum will be eligible for signing.

Sunday, April 25, 2010
3–5 p.m.
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/calendar/event/3235

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Modern Primitives Group Exhibition

Exhibition Benefiting Earth Day and the World Wildlife Fund.  Featuring Shepard Fairey, Chris Pastras, Clint Peterson, Bigfoot, Travis Millard, Mel Kadel, and many more…

Modern Primitives
In Chinatown Opening on Thurs. April 22nd

The Gallery address is:
POVevolving (www.povevolving.com)
939 Chung King Rd.
LA, CA 90012

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A word about your taxes…

We may be a day late (yesterday was tax day), but we are probably not a dollar short… in fact, under Obama we have a few bucks more than under Bush. Please read below.
-Shepard

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/15/tax-day-2010-protesters-i_n_538556.html

Tax Day Fact Check: Most Americans Got A Tax Cut This Year
Sam Stein
Posted: April 15, 2010 07:59 AM

On Tuesday, a wave of protesters, upset with overly-burdensome taxation by the federal government, are set to descend on the nation’s capital to express their displeasure.

But does their anger reflect the truth about today’s tax rates?

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180 South

18 x 24″ Screen Print, $50, Signed by Shepard Fairey and Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia), Edition of 450    SOLD OUT

180 Southis a new film retracing the 1968 journey of Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia) and Doug Tompkins (founder of North Face) across South America. The film is told through the eyes of climber/surfer/writer Jeff Johnson over a six-month trek, conveying a unique voice for environmentalism based on experience rather than pie charts and idealism.180 South and OBEY have teamed up to raise awareness about the destruction of one of the last remaining wild places on earth. The area, in Chile’s Patagonia region, is being threatened by relentless development, including the Hidro Aysen dam proposal. This includes the construction of five dams on the Pascua and the Baker River.

By creating these dams, irreversible damage would occur to the rivers and the ecosystems. In addition to the damming, a massive forest would be clear-cut for electrical transmission lines, scarring the landscape. Over 500 electrical towers would be built along the way, further threatening the wilderness. Please help us support the preservation of these untouched temperate rainforests, endangered species and the lives of local inhabitants.

For more information please visit:
www.180south.com
www.conservacionpatagonica.org

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OBEY HAS A POP UP

OBEY POP UP STORE NYC
April 30th – May 16th
151 Orchard Street, New York City
Stay Tuned for more info…

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Malcolm McLaren Rest In Peace

Malcolm McLaren the former manager and schemer behind the Sex Pistols died today. As many of you know, the Sex Pistols were one of the biggest influences in my life. My daughter Vivienne is named after Malcolm’s ex Vivienne Westwood who did all the fashion for the Pistols. Jamie Reid, the Sex Pistols graphic artist and a college buddy of Malcolm’s, was one of my first art and graphics influences. Malcolm was a brilliant strategist and media manipulator for the Sex Pistols. His love of “the spectacle” as inspired by The Situationist movement has been an influence on many pranksters including Banksy. Malcolm attended a couple of my art shows and we ended up having dinner together a few times too. The conversation from one of the dinners ended up being an article in Swindle magazine(named after the Pistol’s album and movie “The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle). It was hard to get a word in with Malcolm, but his insights and grand ambitions were often profound, and always entertaining. Malcolm and the Sex Pistols not only changed the ENTIRE music culture of the 70’s in ways that can still be felt, but they changed my life. Thanks and farewell Malcolm.
-Shepard

To read more about Malcolm here is a feature from SWINDLE MAGAZINE:
http://swindlemagazine.com/issue05/malcolm-mclaren/

To download a PDF of the feature please click here.

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RAW POWER

I have been a fan of Iggy and The Stooges since the mid eighties. I discovered the Stooges after hearing The Sex Pistol’s cover of their song “No Fun” from The Stooges first album. I also loved the Iggy Pop solo song “Repo Man”, the title track from the movie Repo Man directed by Alex Cox in 1984. Coincidentally, former Sex Pistol Steve Jones contributed lead guitar to the track. The more I learned about Iggy, his music with the Stooges, his solo material, and his collaborations with David Bowie and many others, the more I realized what a diverse talent and icon he is. During my days of listening to punk almost exclusively, all three Iggy and The Stooges albums were in heavy rotation, but the one I tended to skate to was Raw Power. Raw Power added guitarist James Williamson to the line-up and his leads made the Stooges sound even more aggressive. When the Stooges re-formed in 2003(I think) they only performed material from their first two albums because return member and original guitarist Ron Asheton did not play guitar on Raw Power. Don’t get me wrong, the first two Stooges records are great, but I always wanted to hear material from Raw Power. Sadly, Ron Asheton died last year. This tragedy however seems to have brought Iggy and James Williamson back together. Their reunion has resulted in a Raw Power tour. In a ridiculously fortuitous convergence for me, I was in touch with Iggy about doing a portrait of him for my show at Deitch Projects, and I also worked with photographer Robert Matheu on the Billy Idol greatest hits album “Idolize Yourself”. Anyway, Robert was working on the deluxe re-issue of Raw Power, as well as a book on the Stooges. Iggy, not knowing Robert and I already knew each other, asked Robert to send me the Stooges book. This exchange resulted in me being asked about designing a poster for the Raw Power deluxe package and the Raw Power tour. I could try to act cool about it, but honestly this is a dream come true for me. Thank you Iggy and Robert. My illustration is based on a photo of Iggy and James Williamson by Robert Matheu. The poster is signed by me and Robert. Buy Iggy And The Stooges “Raw Power” album right away if you don’t have it.
-Shepard

http://www.threadshop.net/IggyandTheStooges – merch
http://www.iggyandthestoogesmusic.com/ – website
www.robertmatheu.com

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