Category: Random

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Fairey Finally Speaks Out Against Obama

Shepard Fairey has FINALLY said a few words criticizing soon-to-be-president Obama.

From obeygaint.com:

I’m very disappointed by Obama’s appointment of Rick Warren to deliver his invocation during Obama’s inaugural address. Rick Warren is against gay marriage and reproductive rights, and he does not believe in evolution (maybe he offers himself as proof of lack of evolution). I understand that Obama is trying to appeal to conservatives and evangelicals, but this move is symbolically a slap in the face to many people. Warren is not a uniter, but a divider… he is intolerant in many of his views. I still think Obama is the best choice for president, but I can’t condone Warren’s involvement in Obama’s inauguration, no matter how insignificant it is.

Shepard Fairey Obama ProgressFairey goes on to say that some of the proceeds from his pro-Obama posters will now go towards initiatives working to reverse California’s Prop-8, which re-banned gay marriage in the state.

I’ve had a hard time with all of Fairey’s pro-Obama work (it seems a bit pro-establishment compared to the rest of his work), but I really respect Fairey for still being willing to criticize Obama.

If you’re in DC for the inauguration, check out Fairey’s Manifest Hope gallery, running from Jaunuary 17-19.

Via the art collectors blog

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Street Art Christmas Gift Guide

Christmas is only days away, and I know I’ve still got shopping to do. If you’re like me and you’ve got street art fans that you’ve still got to buy gifts for, look no futher.

Elms Lesters Book

1. The Elms Lesters Book – £175: Elms Lesters has released this giant book just in time for Christmas. They’ve been working on it for years, and I can see why. There are photos from all their major exhibitions over the years, and interviews with some of their best known artists conducted by art historian Ben Jones.

Keith Haring Book

2. Keith Haring – $63: Another mammoth street art book. A team including Jeffrey Deitch of Deitch Projects have made the definitive book on Keith Haring.

Bomb It DVD

3. Bomb It – $19.95: I’ve actually put this on my Christmas list, so I haven’t seen it yet, but everybody I’ve talked to has said this movie is great. This documentary goes through the history of graffiti, from cave paintings in Pompeii to the modern day.

Style Wars DVD

4. Style Wars – $24.99: The original graffiti documentary, and a must-have for any fan’s collection. This film helped to define 80’s graffiti.

Subway Art Book

5. Subway Art – $14.96: Like Style Wars, a classic book on graffiti. Martha Cooper’s photographs influenced a generation of writers.

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Two Minute Tour: Shoreditch Street Art

I went on a street art walk through Shoreditch today with gofindit.net, which is an campaign for the new Ford KA. The website isn’t really about the KA though, it’s meant to be about how you can discover new things by just opening your eyes and looking around. While I’m not the biggest fan of car companies co-oping street art because it’s “hip” and “cool”, the website does have a few cool bits.

First, they’ve put together a great video of Shoreditch graffiti:

Second, remember Space Invader’s QR codes? Well Ford’s made some really sick ones for this campaign that they’ve been sticking around Shoreditch. Once again, we have the question of is it okay to think something that Ford is doing is cool, but I think you’ll agree, these are, at the very least, cool technology. Besides, maybe some street artists will pick up on this idea… Check out the video of Ford’s QR codes below. I got to play with these a bit today, and I have to say, really fun.

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Pakistani Truck Art

An interesting post today from WebUrbanist about Pakistani truck art. I’d never heard of this before, but it turns out that in Pakistan, people decorate their trucks by painting on crazy designs and attaching little sculptures and trinkets. Each truck can cost up to $5,000 to paint, more than twice to per capita income!

Truck Art In Baluchistan. Photo by Umair Mohsin
Truck Art In Baluchistan. Photo by Umair Mohsin

From WebUrbanist:

The under-appreciated, indigenous Pakistani tradition of truck painting has an extraordinary history, starting in the days of the Raj. As early as the 1920’s, competing transportation companies would hire craftsmen to adorn their buses in the hopes that these moving canvases would attract more passengers. The technique worked so well that pretty soon you couldn’t purchase a ticket without seeing dozens of beautifully painted trucks waiting to take you to your destination. While the art doesn’t serve the same purpose anymore, it is still as prevalent as ever and has become more intricate and developed a deeper cultural significance over time.

Painters of Truck Art. Photo by Umair Mohsin
Painters of Truck Art. Photo by Umair Mohsin