Obey Giant

Mr. Spray – Gold

2010-08-31T22:32:55Z

Mr. Spray is here! Brought to you by Obey and Strangeco the Gold version will be sold exclusively by Obey Giant on Thursday 9/2/2010. Price is $100. Outer packaging signed by Shepard. You will find it in the Collectibles section of our store on 9/2/2010 at a random time.

Mr. Spray is an original character created by Shepard Fairey in 2004 as a street-art appropriation of an advertising character design of the 1950s. Mr. Spray is the first original vinyl figure design by Shepard in eleven years.

Mr. Spray is a rotocast vinyl figure, 11 inches tall. 4 points of articulation and packaged with an OBEY mini stencil. Illustrated card box packaging.

Mr. Spray was made in four colors:

BLACK - limited to 350 pieces. Available at strangeco’s online retail shop and at select retailers.
RED – limited to 350 pieces. Available at strangeco’s online retail shop and at select retailers.
GOLD – limited to 200 pieces. OBEY special edition, release date: 9/2/2010.
SILVER – limited to 100 pieces. Strangeco special edition, available at the San Diego Comic Con 2010 and through Strangeco’s online retail shop. Purchase information forthcoming.

SICK STIX !

2010-08-27T22:33:53Z

New stickers are here!!

GOLD SERIES LIMITED sticker pack. Only 1000 made. Gold is hot and Gold never fades.

OBEY ICON & STREET BOMBER sticker packs. The best choice if Andre is your man.

Purchase in the “STICKERS” section of our STORE.

Printed Matters x Subliminal Projects x Shepard Fairey

2010-08-30T17:04:52Z

We are pleased to announce that OBEY GIANT ART will be coming to Subliminal Projects. PRINTED MATTERS, will be an exhibition that incorporates every varitey of Shepard’s printed work, including prints on wood, metal, album cover and fine art collage on paper.

Some people say print is on its way out, that it will be wiped out by digital media, but I say you can never replace the provocative, tactile experience of an art print on the street or in a gallery. Printing still matters.
-Shepard

Opening Reception
Printed Matters
September 16th / 8 – 11pm

Gestalten x Subliminal Projects
Book Signing
Beyond the Street: The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art
September 16th / 7 – 8pm

Gestalten and Subliminal Projects cordially invite you to the Los Angeles signing and presentation of the book Beyond the Street: The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art.

Book signing with featured contributors including Amanda and Shepard Fairey, Dave Kinsey, Jana DesForges of BLK/MRKT, Marsea Goldberg of New Image Art, Patti Astor, Retna and Saber.

Subliminal Projects
1331 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
subliminalprojects.com

PRINTED MATTERS

Printing has changed the world. With the invention of the movable type printing press around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg created arguably the most important instrument for the global democratization of knowledge. Not only did the printing press facilitate the spread of text-based information, it also spread images. Prior to the invention of the printing press, artwork had to be viewed in person, limiting the influence of styles and specific images to local audiences or those wealthy enough to travel great distances.

The printing press may have begun the democratization of art, but another printer evolved it both conceptually and practically. Andy Warhol made art based on accessible products and personalities from pop culture. In addition to his attempts to democratize art through his subject matter, Warhol used screen-printing to produce multiple versions of his images. Where elitism, preciousness, and scarcity had been the ruling principles in the art world, Warhol embraced commercial reproduction techniques and mass culture. Further down the line, two of my biggest street art influences — Barbara Kruger and Robbie Conal — used printed posters to spread their artwork and messages in public spaces.

I’m a product of the era of mass production and the mass culture it has created. I can’t imagine my art practice without the influence of, and the use of, printing. Some of my biggest art influences were not paintings, but printed things like album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t-shirt designs. When I discovered stencil making and screen-printing in high school, I used them to make t-shirts and stickers, but by college I began to use screen-printing to make art. I enjoyed illustration, photography, collage, and graphic design separately, but with screen-printing I could synthesize those techniques into an integrated final product. Screen-printing also provided latitude for experimentation and the ability to make multiples, and my style began to evolve as I explored the graphic nature of the medium. I tried to make images that would translate well to screen-print production. A harmony of beauty, power, and utility was my goal.

I always believed in art as a part of public dialogue, and my Obey Giant street art campaign aspired to arrest visually and provoke intellectually. With the need for me to compete with well funded advertising, screen-printing posters myself was the only way I could afford to create large quantities of materials to share on the streets. My theory was that I could print an image on thin paper for the streets and on thicker paper to sell. I was broke, so I needed a process that was affordable and efficient. I printed my posters in a consistent size and color palette so I could build modular grids of images and constantly expand my image library for large outdoor installations.

Repetition, consistency, and persistence over the years yielded a growing audience for both my outdoor art and gallery art. As people started to request more “fine art” of my images, I began to embellish upon my utilitarian printing techniques by printing on wood, metal, and canvas, as well as incorporating stenciling back into the work. Some of these pieces began to function as one-of-a-kind mixed media paintings. To keep my work affordable and accessible, I also made screen-print-on-paper editions of my fine-art pieces.

The Printed Matters show incorporates every variety of my printed works, including prints on wood, metal, album covers, and fine-art collage papers. Some people say print is on its way out, that it will be wiped out by digital media, but I say you can never replace the provocative, tactile experience of an art print on the street or in a gallery. Printing still matters.

-Shepard

For artwork purchases please contact Subliminal Projects, www.subliminalprojects.com

John & Yoko Canvas Print

2010-08-25T19:32:09Z

John and Yoko have elicited a wide spectrum of emotions, but to me, this image is undeniably uplifting. Yoko Ono has been scapegoated by some as the woman who broke up the Beatles. I disagree, and regardless of my love of the Beatles, I think Lennon did some of his most powerful and brave work as a solo artist with avant-garde artist Yoko Ono as his partner and collaborator. Yoko helped cultivate amazing things with John. The “Bed In” that the two held to discuss their peace advocacy and their WAR IS OVER (if you want it) campaign were courageous and ambitious. John and Yoko were persecuted for their politics, and the U.S. government under Nixon made several attempts to deport Lennon for his outspoken opposition to the Vietnam war. Lennon’s songs from his time with Yoko Ono like Power To The People, Happy X Mas, War is Over, Give Peace A Chance, and Imagine demonstrate a profound reflection on the struggles of humanity.

Yoko Ono continues to be a peace and gay rights activist, artist, author, and philanthropist. She generously gave permission for me to make the painting and poster based on photo by Iain Macmillan . Proceeds from this print go to Yoko Ono’s Spirit Foundations.

-Shepard

18 x 24″ Screen print on paper. $70. Edition of 450. For sale on 8/26/10 at a random time. Limit 1 per person/household.

Dance Right x 4 Year Anniversary x DJ Diabetic

2010-08-25T17:54:46Z

Dance Right has been going weekly nonstop for four years now and to celebrate, Shepard (aka DJ Diabetic), the former resident of the party, is returning to do a special DJ set. Come out, high-five, and dance the rest of the summer away to Shepard’s special selections of rap, hip hop, rock, and more.

DANCE RIGHT
4 Year Anniversary, Thursday, 8/26
Downtown LA @ La Cita
RSVP at danceright.net or danceright.net/rsvp.html

The Radiant Child Opening

2010-08-24T21:58:22Z

My studio, Studio Number One designed the credits and I made the painting for the poster for the Basquiat documentary film by Tamra Davis THE RADIANT CHILD. The film is excellent, great interviews, art images, and music. I think this is the definitive Basquiat doc. It is playing at the NUART in LA and wider distribution depends on the LA attendance. Please support.
-Shepard

OPENS FRIDAY AUGUST 20
One Week Only, 8/20 – 8/26
Exclusively at Landmark Theatres
Nuart Theatre, Santa Monica Blvd
Buy Tickets Online at LANDMARKTHEATRES.com

COEXIST x GEF x Russell Simmons

2010-08-24T21:30:35Z

Check out this blog post and project that Glen E Friedman and Russell Simmons are working on that addresses the panic and talks about the proposed building of a new Muslim mosque near Ground Zero.

http://idealistpropaganda.blogspot.com/2010/08/all-in-days-work-on-non-issue-diversion.html

Freedom of religion is a fundamental right our nation was founded upon.
-Shepard

John & Yoko Canvas Print

2010-08-25T17:55:37Z

18 x 24″ Screen Print on paper. Signed and Numbered Edition of 450. $70. Limit one per person/household. A portion of the proceeds go to the Spirit Foundations, Inc.

Photo by Iain Macmillan (c) Yoko Ono

For release on 8.26.10 at a random time.

Woody Guthrie Canvas Print

2010-08-19T23:23:37Z

This print reflects the format of the Woody Guthrie painting it is based upon. The print is on18x24 paper and will be signed and numbered just below the bottom border of the printed area… allowing the purchaser to choose between a standard(more affordable) 18×24 frame, or trimming the excess paper below the signature and custom framing the print. Cropping the image to more closely suit the 18×24 proportion compromised the composition.

Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was an American folk singer and songwriter best known for the song “This Land Is Your Land” frequently sung in American schools. Though the song is used patriotically, it was originally intended as as a “power to the people” themed anthem, and had its more controversial verses edited out. Full original lyrics below. Guthrie grew up in Oklahoma during the dust bowl and the depression which gave him empathy toward farmers and working class people in general. Guthrie was given the nickname “The Dust Bowl Troubadour” and wrote many songs championing workers, unions, outlaws, farmers, and the downtrodden. When Woody performed he often had the slogan “This Machine Kills Fascists” emblazoned across his guitar. If Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” was the literary embodiment off the struggles of the era, Guthrie’s songs were the musical equivalent. Guthrie was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for his left leaning views. Woody Guthrie’s influence can be felt in the tradition of social justice in music ranging from Pete Seeger, to Johnny Cash, to Bob Dylan, to Jimi Hendrix, to Neil Young, to Joe Strummer(who’s original nickname was Woody”). In my MAYDAY art show, Guthrie was an essential inclusion for his tremendous influence on so many of my favorite musicians who have combined entertainment and social commentary. Proceeds from this print go to the Woody Guthrie Foundation. The painting and print are based on a photograph by Sid Grossman.

-Shepard

Woody Guthrie’s original lyrics to “This Land is Your Land”:
stanzas 4, 5, and 6 are usually censored out, but are essential
to conveying the full meaning of Woody’s song.

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

chorus
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream water
This land was made for you and me

As I was walkin’, that ribbon of highway
I saw above me, that endless skyway
I saw below me, that golden valley
I said this land was made for you and me

I’ve roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sand of her diamond desert
And all around me, a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me

Down in the city, in the shadow of the steeple
By the relief office, I saw my people
As they stood there hungry I stood there whistling:
This land was made for you and me

As I went walking, I saw a sign there
And on that sign it said “Private Property”
But on the other side it didn’t say nothin’
That side was made for you and me !

Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking my freedom highway
Nobody living can make me turn back, cuz
This land was made for you and me

The sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
As the fog was lifting, a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me

– Woody Guthrie

For release on 8/19/10 at a random time. 1 per person/household. $65. Signed and Numbered Edition of 450.

Brave New Films x SNO Studio Tour

2010-08-17T17:15:03Z

I very much believe in the work Brave New Films does. They make great, informative films about important topics, and foster grassroots activism. I am offering a studio tour and suite of 5 screen prints to help raise money for them. A tour with me is worth millions, and the screen prints billions, so bid on the auction before I retreat to an underground bunker and stop making art. Maybe I could earn Brave New Films more if I promised TO retreat to an underground bunker and stop making art. Either way your feelings go about me, Brave New Films is a great cause, and you can always bid on lunch with one of my heroes like Henry Rollins or Oliver Stone.
-Shepard

Bid on the Tour and Prints HERE
http://www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/bravenewfoundation/catalog_items