Obey

A visual and conceptual journey through the 35-year career of one of the most influential and internationally acclaimed street artists

On the occasion of 35 years of Shepard Fairey's (Obey) career and his first solo exhibition in Italy (curated by the artist and the Wunderkammern gallery), this monograph presents a body of work that is among the most representative of his artistic production, together with numerous unique pieces conceived especially for the occasion. Shepard Fairey (Charleston, 1970) is the artist behind Obey. Known for the HOPE poster, a portrait of Barack Obama for the 2008 presidential campaign, Obey is distinguished by an essential and bold style with a minimalist palette guided by the hip hop and punk cultures that taught the artist to question social conventions. This is the poetics with which Fairey animates all of his works, inviting the audience to question on relevant current issues.

The sections of the book are inspired by the most representative themes of Shepard Fairey's art: propaganda; peace and justice; environment; music and new works. Introduced by the essays by Giuseppe Pizzuto, Edoardo Falcioni and by a statement by Obey, the book begins with the section dedicated to propaganda featuring some of the artist's most significant images on this theme, starting with the iconic HOPE portraying Obama's face, which sparked so much enthusiasm and hope in 2008. It then continues through works in the peace and justice section in which, through the power of images, Shepard Fairey draws attention to issues such as human rights, abuse of power, war and peace.

Suggestive and powerful are the works in the environment section, where the artist wishes to open a dialogue with the viewer reminding him of the importance of community in safeguarding our planet. The artist's universal message also finds expression in the section devoted to music. Of this art form Fairey especially admires universality and accessibility; he himself cites musical groups such as the Sex Pistols, Black Flag, Bob Marley and Public Enemy as his main sources of inspiration. The monograph ends with the new works, executed by Obey between 2021 and 2024, and Rubylith illustrations.