Shepard Fairey or "The Man Who Started It All"

Okay.

I just finished my post on Banksy when I realized I hadn't done anything on the history of stencil art. So instrad of copying and pasting off of wikipedia, I can introduce you to another really good artist, by the name of Frank Shepard Fairey, known to most as Shepard Fairey. He is, in some sense, partially responsible for the rise of stencil culture in the American Sub-conscious. "How is that possible?" Well, with the help of man named Andre the Giant.

Shepard Fairey was once a young boy just like you, just like me, unless you're a girl, and then it's my apologies. Anyway, Shepard fairey was already steeped in making stencils, having attended the Rhode Island School of Design. Then one fateful day, a friend asked him for a lesson in stencil production. As an example, Fairey began making a scrap stencil out of the face of Andre the Giant, a wrestler of that time. When he began putting up stickers and stencils of the face, with the word "OBEY" tattooed in large black letters across New York City, the idea took off like wildefire. Dubbed, the "Andre the Giant has a Posse" campaign, the image spread to the far corners of the globe and propelled Fairey to heights of fame, unknow by most mortal men.

Now, Shepard Fairey is the head of a clothing company, a magazine publisher, and a msuic label, all from posting a small face on walls with spray paint. The "OBEY" image has become a symbol for social unrest and the questioning of one's society, as well as a strong undercurrent of pro socialist, marxist, and communist sympathies. Now, Fairey runs three companies and DJ's in his spare time, which I find ridiculous...ridiculously awsome. He doesn' have time to be running away form the police for vandalism. Fortunately, he has a group of dedicated followers who have carried on the image of Andre the Giant, and the "OBEY" face. It does my heart good every time I see it.

WRECKOGNIZE!

duchamp

Banksy or "The Art of Rebellion"

I'm young and being young means you get to do many things, not so much 'get' as 'have' to do many things. You have to go to school and learn and grow stronger mentally and physically, and continue to improve yourself ona daily basis. Why? Is it for your own gain? No. Is it for your happiness? Nope. You break your back so you can clean up after the last generation. In doing this however, you will create new problems while trying to fix the old ones. Such is the way of life for the young and so it has been for centuries.

Sometimes, however, sometimes, some kid out there, somebody smarter than the rest, realizes what hey're true destiny is. That's when they begin to kick and scream and tear at their bodies, trying to rid themselves of unwanted responsibilities. Becauese, honestly, who really wants to spend eternity trying to clean a mess that you didn't make. Thus we have youthful rebellion.

I myself am a quiet person. I'm not rallying in the streets or setting fire to cars, not so much because I don't want to. The whoel illegal thing is a fine deterrent and I can't find the materials as cheaply as I used to. So I make stencils, nothing fancy, just something to mget the message out there. But no matter how hard I try, no matter how professional my work looks, it will always pale in comparison to the king of Stencil Graffiti. Banksy.

Banksy too is a quiet figure. He's wanted across England for acts of vandalism and hsi subversive work has permeated all the way over to the U.S. as well. All of his work has an ironic twist to it however. They challenge the reader not only as stand alone art, but also by involving the surroundings upon whch the piece is placed. He made massive stencils on the Palestinian side of the Israeli West Bank barrier, revealing "lush landscapes and serene settings on the Isreali side," all to protest the fighting between the two nations. He secretly hung two of his own renditions of famous paintings on display at the Metropolitan Museum, where they were not found for many days. He is constantly creaitng massive stencils that cause the reader to stop and smile, to take a step back and say "Damn. Now How'd he do that?"

Despite his obvious intellect and skill for art, he must remain somewhat in the shadows. His art does mark him as a wanted man, but I feel as if he wouldn't have it any other way. If his art was sanctioned, it would lose the luster and "rebellious" nature. It's being illegal is half the fun. Suffice to say, the man is a genius. Hands down, no questions asked. If you don't agree, there's the door. You can just see youself out. And if Banksy is somewhere out there reading this, well, I am beyond honored.

duchamp