As someone who considers herself an urban landscape artist, I was ecstatic for Shepard Fairey's first solo museum show, up now at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art. (Click here for their site). Any artist who is in the area for the duration of the show (up until Aug 16) and has work even remotely related to the urban landscape, americana, politics - and also values strong composition - can benefit from visiting this show. Fairey's obvious work ethic alone is enough to inspire anyone. The sheer quantity of work is daunting. I know for a fact I will visit the show again only because one visit did not afford me what I needed to take in all the work. (Click here for a great Globe review).
The show seemed to be structured by intent, beginning with subversive, rebellious imagery, than building toward more complicated, well-financed pieces. Each room becoming more brazen in content, more ballsy in approach and more daunting in composition. The layering, the color, the design of each piece is carefully thought-out. Even with assistants, a show of this magnitude took planning, and dedication. How do you present a rebel in the structure of a museum? How do you maintain his rebellious tenor yet elevate his message to a volume anyone can hear?
In a word: guerilla marketing. The ICA was brilliant to aid Fairey in plastering Boston with posters, stickers and banners of his work. They have no signature, not signage, only the works themselves dropped from the sky onto the skin of a cold city. The picture above is of a very large, billboard-size banner of Fairey's at our Government Center, a place commuters pass by the thousands each day.
A fantastic side-effect of this marketing was Fairey being arrested for it. What better way to promote your show than to get arrested for promoting it!? After paying his bail and fine ($100), Fairey was released the next day.
However, these events are merely whispers behind the walls of an astounding show. Fairey is a master of color and screenprinting. I would argue he is a modern Kroninger or Muller-Brockmann (whom he references in a small poster in the last room, middle left). Although Fairey has MUCH more drama and anger in his work. He is genuinely upset with the state of things and uses overt puns and poetry in his graphic text to get his point across. It comes across alright...and pokes you in the eye!
I saw this exhibit with a friend who went to school in Providence when Fairey was also there attending RISD. He said he saw Fairey's "Andre the Giant has a Posse" stickers all over Providence years ago, but saw them so often that it wasn't a big deal. He had no idea that the person behind those stickers would one day be such a famous artist. His work was a part of the city, and no one seemed to mind.
I am honored that for these brief months, Fairey is part of my city.
I don't mind at all.
