About the artwork
Reusing the aesthetic codes of propaganda posters, this work by Shepard Fairey presents us with an unspoken reality. The slogan "My dog walker is a dick, brutality bites" is superimposed on the image of a policeman struggling to keep his rabid dog in line. The policeman's skeletal face makes him the allegorical figure of death, wiping out American society. In so doing, Shepard Fairey denounces, not without cynicism, unjustified police violence and the training of their dogs to become, according to the artist, weapons of war.
Expert opinion
This work, characteristic of the artist's plural struggles, bears witness to Shepard Fairey's political commitment against police violence and the use of dogs as weapons.
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.
“There's a violent history of police dogs being used to attack protesters, which contrasts intensely with the wonderful perspective of the white dog owner who nurses his dogs and engages walkers.”
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