About the artwork
This work features a superimposition of torn pieces of paper evoking fragments of advertising images, arranged in front of a woman who is looking directly at the viewer. The visual debris includes advertisements for brands such as Coca-Cola, as well as references to the oil industry, featuring a man holding a gas pump in a warrior posture. These torn advertising posters function as a "visual metaphor for the fragmented and competing messages" to which we are exposed on a daily basis. According to the artist, this fragmentation reflects the omnipresence of advertising influences, underlining the extent to which our habits are conditioned by the propaganda surrounding certain products.
Expert opinion
This work, characteristic of the artist's social struggle, questions the advertising propaganda that influences our consumer habits.
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.
“The "Drink Crude Oil" print uses torn-up advertising posters as a metaphor for the fragmented, competing messages we are all confronted with on a daily basis. Many of our habits are reinforced by the omnipresence and consistency of propaganda around certain products.”
Additional info
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