Shepard Fairey (OBEY)
Disposable Heroes
2012
Screen printing
61 × 46 cm
Ed. 115/450
Location: Paris, France
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About the artwork
In this silkscreen print, the upside-down military helmet, suspended from a skull by barbed wire, evokes war heroes ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. The stark contrasts between black, white, and red lend the work a dramatic intensity, in the style of mid-20th-century propaganda posters. Through this composition, Shepard Fairey critiques the way soldiers, these “disposable heroes”, are perceived. The work invites us to reflect on the consequences of military action, highlighting the human dimension behind every sacrifice.
Expert opinion
With his iconic style and signature colors, he is referencing Metallica's 1986 album *Disposable Heroes*.
About the artist
American artist, born in 1970. Lives and works in Los Angeles (USA). Muralist, illustrator and silkscreen artist, Shepard Fairey (Obey) is one of the most influential figures in urban art. Influenced by Andy Warhol, Barbara Kruger and Diego Rivera, he is best known for the HOPE portrait of Barack Obama he created for his presidential campaign in 2008, which has since been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery (Washington, USA). Following the attacks in France on November 13, 2015, Shepard Fairey created a Marianne with the motto "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité", a work that has now become a national symbol and is on display at the Élysée Palace. In 2019, he will create his hundredth fresco at Place Igor Stravinsky in Paris, next to the Centre Pompidou. Internationally renowned, Shepard Fairey can be found in the collections of the Smithsonian (Washington, USA), the Museum of Modern Art (New York, USA) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK). He has also exhibited in prestigious venues such as the Fondation Cartier for the "Né dans la rue - Graffiti" exhibition in 2009, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston (USA), where his retrospective "Supply & Demand" was organized in 2009.
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