New Screen Print by Brin Levinson
I first saw Brin Levinson’s work in Portland OR and purchased a painting I loved immediately. My good friend John Goff, who used to help me screen print in San Diego, likes Brin’s work as well, and just published a very cool screen print for him. It will be released Thurs. Check it out.
-Shepard
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Help Stop RE-SEGREGATION
While David and Charles Koch drink down the high life, they are causing tens of thousands of families in North Carolina to lose their opportunity at enjoying educational equality and a free and fair shot at success. It’s part and parcel of the Kochs’ ideology to dismantle public service generally.
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Obey Copenhagen Post 2 (Bad)
In late July, I began a gallery project and series of street murals in Copenhagen. in early August a series of inaccurate articles and web posts began to emerge reporting that I was commissioned and paid by the city of Copenhagen to execute my Peace Dove mural. The mural location in question had a controversial history of clash between the city and the supporters and inhabitants of the Youth House formerly located there. In spite of efforts by myself, my gallery, and the Youth House, to correct the record, media outlets continued to perpetuate the misconception that I had been hired or at least prompted by the city to create my mural at the former Youth House location. An unfortunate chain reaction of events took place that I believe may have been, at least in part, catalyzed by media misinformation that continues to circulate. Below is my attempt to thoroughly illuminate my experience in Copenhagen.
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Obey Copenhagen post 1 (Good)
Copenhagen was a very, intense trip. I made 110 pieces of art for the show at V1, so I had already been working long hours before I left for Copenhagen. Once we arrived, we hung the show and then the crew and I dove into long days of murals, two of them being three stories high. The Peace Dove mural was all painted, and the AK-47/M-16 mural was painted and pasted. We also did a lot of smaller(comparably), but still large murals all over town. We rode bikes all over town and got a lot of sun and exercise. The opening at V1 and after party were amazing. The V1 crew did an excellent job. My one regret, is that I did not have more time to enjoy the city other than through street art. Copenhagen is a progressive, culturally rich place with great design, art, architecture, and environmental consciousness. The people(for the most part) are incredibly friendly and thoughtful. Not everyone in Copenhagen was hospitable, but that deserves a longer and more thorough explanation and analysis that I will get to in the next couple days with Obey Copenhagen post 2 (Bad). Meanwhile, check out the great coverage by Obey Clothing photographer and free lance mural assistant Jon Furlong, and the Arrested Motion coverage by super cool Danish photographer Henrik Haven. Thanks to Dan Flores, Nic Bowers, Z Bomit, and everyone else who helped out in Copenhagen.
-Shepard
Below you’ll find the links to the articles on Arrested Motion and Obey Clothing:
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Help Stop Military Spending
As I attempted to explain accompanying my “Imperial Glory” print, the military industry is one of the most powerful and costly in America. There is absolutely no justification for such exorbitant U.S. military spending at the expense of domestic programs, education, and infrastructure improvement. Please take a minute to support the Brave New Foundation’s initiative. Sign the petition HERE. Thanks for caring.
-Shepard
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Friendship and Support
Today I am proud to honor the legacy of George Harrison and the very first major music concert for a cause “The Concert for Bangladesh”. Join me in supporting the great work of the George Harrison Fund for UNICEF and their work with the children affected by the famine in Africa. To learn more click HERE
Frienship and Support is a new print I created that celebrates George Harrison and the Concert For Bangladesh. See below for details on how to purchase.
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Street Art Stories
Brooklyn Street Art invites you to “Street Art Stories” , a presentation and panel discussion about new stories told on the street today, to be held at MOCA Grand Avenue Ahmanson Auditorium, Los Angeles, California on Saturday, August 13, 2011, at 3 pm.
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An Apology
I have an apology to make, but first I’d like to give a little background. I met Elizabeth Daniels in Feb. 1996 while I was in NYC putting up posters. I was standing on a window ledge on Mercer St. when a woman asked “are you the same person who puts those posters up in Providence”. Elizabeth explained that she went to Brown University in Providence and I told her I had gone to RISD and still lived in Providence. We started conversing about art and hours flew by. Elizabeth also told me she was a photographer and I made a visit to her apartment to check out her photos when I returned to Providence. I found her photography to be beautiful and her gift of deep conversation to be profound… we have been friends ever since. Elizabeth has documented my artwork on the streets many times over the years. When I was putting together my monograph, “Supply And Demand”, she generously granted me permission to use some of her photos in the book. When I recently assembled my installation for LA MOCA I had a framed photograph of Elizabeth’s that I included in the installation along with all the posters, paintings, stencils, and a couple other photos taken by me and one other photographer. The entire installation was hung salon style, floor to ceiling, with almost no negative space. I did not put up description plaques for any of the pieces based on the volume of work and lack of space. I eventually heard from Elizabeth that she was hurt and offended that I did not make a credit plaque for her photograph. I did not intend to slight her in any way, but she said “one of my photos is in a major museum without credit”. That made me realize how fortunate I am to have been in several museum shows, something most artists can only dream of. My life is extremely hectic, but this incident reminded me that I can’t let my own overwhelming obligations serve as an excuse for not showing my appreciation of others. Regardless of the impracticality of labeling my salon style installation, Elizabeth deserves credit for her contribution. Elizabeth I’m sorry for my oversight and I greatly appreciate your beautiful pictures of my work. This is Elizabeth’s photograph that is in the MOCA “Art In The Streets” show. Check out more of Elizabeth’s photography at www.elizabethdanielsphotography.com.
-Shepard Fairey
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Obey Clothing x Big Boys Collab
I first became familiar with the Austin TX band The Big Boys in 1984 when I purchased Thrasher’s Skate Rock Vol. 1. The album had several punk bands which had skateboarders as members, including the Drunk Injuns, the Faction, JFA, and the Big Boys. At the age of 14, not only were skateboarding and punk my two biggest passions, but their D.I.Y. creativity, rebellion, and independence were crucial in shaping my value system. I loved the Big Boys music, and I also thought their logo, a clever fusion of an anarchy logo and skateboard, was the most succinct and iconic merging of the two things I cared MOST about imaginable. I eventually met Tim Kerr, the Big Boys’ guitarist, at an art show I was DJ’ing, and I threw on a Big Boys song to show my respect and appreciation. We kept in touch by email for a while, but had not been in contact lately, though I’ve followed Tim’s art and music from a distance. A bit of an awkward situation came up recently when the the Street Machine skate shop in Copenhagen created a collaboration with Obey Clothing for my upcoming Copenhagen art show…
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40th Anniversary of the Concert for Bangladesh
George Harrison has been an inspiration to me and musicians across the world. I love the Beatles, and George’s album “All things Must Pass” is one of my all time favorites. What I also love about George is his political consciousness because I’m a passionate believer in using creativity for social good. In 1971, George’s friend Ravi Shankar asked him to help the children of Bangladesh. George took action by hosting the Concert for Bangladesh in support of UNICEF. Please watch the video below and join me in supporting this great cause.
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