About the artwork
The red-and-blue American flag, superimposed with a calavera, a typical Mexican skull and crossbones with black outlines, anchors the cultural contrast and plastic discrepancy. The features that make up the figure are in fact a thoughtful assemblage of symbols ironizing American power: dollars, barrels of oil, warplanes, surveillance cameras, all in perfect vertical symmetry. Here, Shepard Fairey highlights the American geopolitical context, denouncing excessive US control.
Expert opinion
This work picks up on Shepard Fairey's emblematic aesthetic, delivering a strong message about his convictions.
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.
“I'm glad we have them, because I think the message of diversity conveyed by all the star symbols is more important than ever in the national conversation.”
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