About the artwork
This silkscreen depicts a helmeted skeleton dressed as a policeman, who appears to be challenging a man with a truncheon. The composition is dark, both in its color palette and in its symbolism. Indeed, the words "state violence" and "state control" highlight the violence and control of the American state represented by the figure of the policeman. This work was produced for the group NØISE, of which Shepard Fairey is a member alongside veteran musicians Merritt Lear, John Goff and Joe Cassidy. It was published simultaneously with two of the band's songs and featured on one of the album covers. Like the creation of the group NØISE, this silkscreen is an act of resistance to the attitudes and policies of the current administration.
Expert opinion
This work, characteristic of the artist's plural struggles, stands against the violence and control exercised by the state, marking the opposition of Shepard Fairey and his music group NØISE to the political abuses of the United States.
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.
“What I do is essentially an attempt to combat political, social and environmental apathy.”
Additional info
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