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Obey and Obama

Morgan Maher
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Shepard Fairey of "Obey Giant" fame is backing Barack Obama with a new series of posters. While the color prints sold out in 15 minutes, black and white editions are now available here as a free download.

For many years Fairey has created artwork encouraging the questioning of authority or, as one of the Obey slogans puts it; "Manufacturing Dissent Since 1988". Now, he feels the need to "root for someone who I think has the potential to be awesome."

In this interview, Shepard Fairey discusses his reasons for doing the Obama poster.

 

Photo by Tonx, used via Creative Commons licenses.

Comments

Ill Perspective

Submitted by Morgan Maher on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 01:54.

Have you seen the other candidates????

Seems to me that if any of the other candidates were to become president, you'd have a lot more to worry about than which poster you like better. In fact, my guess is that after all this Bush business, if Obama does not win, and say, Clinton wins, Americans and the rest of the world can expect more crapola.

I've never been very interested in politicians, but I watched one of Obama's speeches, and I was impressed.

Step by Step

Submitted by Morgan Maher on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 13:17.

First off, this is not simply coverage of Obama. This is coverage of the connection between Shepard Fairey and Obama.

You like those black and white posters on the side of that box? Well, perhaps you're aware that Fairey is among the most prolific and prominent of poster and sticker artists out there. An artist who's majority of work is concerned with dissent.

Here, with his support of Obama, he still supports this dissent. A dissent and a step away from some of the nasty wind of the past/present/future.

It is certainly something when for so long an artist who famously questions authority, who puts up posters on the streets, who manufactures dissent, can find a way into the political system and effect some change.

The cynical and sarcastic can get their knickers in a knot about how "rigged" the political system is. But what happens when you get an artist like Fairey in there, pullin', jiggin' and tweakin' some of those strings?

Will Obama magically deliver you, or the country, from evil and tyranny in one fell sweep?

Of course not.

But it feels to me a step in a fresh direction.

 

 

re:dissent

Submitted by nitelite on Thu, 02/14/2008 - 17:57.

i would hardly call making a poster of a candidate you support selling out. shepard has always been extremely politically interested and his work has directly reflected his very strong opinions. whether he supports or rejects a figure, if he feels strongly about it he will make a print to reflect it. and he has always been interested in getting his work and opinions out there, whether by underground campaigns, advertising campaigns, or online stores.

 

personally i dont think obama knows what he is doing, but i like him. thats an improvement anyway.

selling up

Submitted by wanderlust on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 11:24.
The thing that makes me most curious about Obama is the Media's love for him. I like him. But I don't expect the culture-creating-machine to like him as well. For once I am actually setting my cynicism aside and putting some stock in this character, although deep down inside eco's comments resonate with my belief that the presidential campaign is a spectacular horse-race designed to convince citizens that they are "participating" in a "process". Rubbish. What happened to Kucinich, that's all I'm saying. Our society just wants someone pretty running the show, and that's the truth.

wanderlust

 

Flocks, Sheep and Wolves

Submitted by Morgan Maher on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 15:47.

I hear and sympathize with your concerns regarding the "mess of politics". But why not set some good intentions and project something interesting and beneficial onto this mess, something other than cynicism and despair.

In any event, I like the notion that the "political mess" is being influenced by some kind of fairy shepherd.

BLATANT COVERT PROPAGANDA

Submitted by Raemi on Sat, 02/16/2008 - 00:08.

INGSOC

 

OBAMA=ORWELL'S BIG BROTHER

Hope and Change?

Submitted by freak power ULTD on Sat, 02/16/2008 - 22:22.
The main problem with Barack Obama is that he supports a continued War On Terror and a continuation of the police state tactics that we've come to expect from the Bush Administration. The one good thing about Bush's eight year reign is that it has made young people aware of the evils of the empire we inhabit and the pain we inflict on the world. It is unfortunate that they cant look back a little further and a bit deeper so they can see things weren't exactly hunky dory before minibush got the nod. Its sad to see so many suffering from the delusion that we live in a representative democracy rather than realizing we live in a corporate oligarchy serving the purposes of a military industrial complex. Sorry kids, but the game is rigged. With that being said, I'm not cynical. I'm really optimistic that we can change things. But it wont be through the political process, but rather through the transformation of our own lives and the creation of a new cutural consciousness. Politics always lags behind evolution.

Pull Some Strings

Submitted by Morgan Maher on Sun, 02/17/2008 - 16:09.

medicinebath: ...we can change things. But it wont be through the political process, but rather through the transformation of our own lives and the creation of a new cutural consciousness. Politics always lags behind evolution.

Okay, sure. Things won't be so quickly turned around by political processes. Sure, politics lags behind evolution, in some sense.

Yet, the transformation of our own lives and the creation of a new cultural consciousness inevitably, at some point, includes politics and politicians. Everything gets swept up sooner or later. How late or how soon is it now, for you?

Like I said, Obama or anyone else is not going to be a magical key. But where one can influence the whole thing with a vote - one can also influence the whole thing with creative intention and creative action.

Create some kind of new and interesting context with which to view and engage politics. It's not going to just "go away" if you rub your eyes.

I am really amazed at how, even on this website, in these comments, there are some barely hidden racist remarks aimed at Obama. Shame.

You know the saying; "There are no political solutions, only technological ones." - So ramp up your notion of "technological solutions" and cast some sunlight towards the dark.

Otherwise you've got your neck in a noose, mumbling about how you "get the feeling something's rigged."

wow

Submitted by high sourcery on Mon, 02/18/2008 - 19:53.
is that a stage act obama employs? someone in the audience feints and he looks like a caring guy? that's ridiculous.

 

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go obama

Submitted by brooksgurl on Thu, 02/21/2008 - 19:16.
i think that he would be a great president but i think that he needs to get more experience.