Shepard Fairey (Edition 1/15) Photograph

Portrait of Street Artist Shepard Fairey Michelberger Hotel - Berlin - 2015 High-resolution image on top-quality Fuji photographic paper covered by a 3 mm methacrylate sheet with a dibond back frame, ready to hang. Each copy is numbered and signed on the back by hand. Shepard Fairey is an American street artist also known as Obey. His portrait is the only one I have made that doesn’t look like a photo, I traced the whole picture to make it look like one of his illustrations. I wanted to use the same communist propaganda style Shepard uses in his work. While shooting, I asked him to look at the sky thinking “The world is pretty messed up but we can still fix this,” and he pulled exactly the face I was looking for, he probably knew what I was talking about... Shepard has his own brand called Obey Clothing and shows his work in many galleries and art fairs, which is highly valued by collectors. For these reasons he is not specially respected by the most purist factions of the graffiti scene and street art movement. These urban trends were born on the streets, and they keep a highly anti-system mentality in which stepping into the world of “gallery art” or starting your own brand is not seen as a cool move. So Sheppard has an army of haters not showing much love for him on the internet. Despite all this hate, he has never stopped creating art and promoting his brand. Actually, all his works convey positive messages of equality and social justice. That’s why I chose him to represent the constant fight for personal growth, because he never lost his cool or got involved in the fight, he never got engaged in flaming arguments with online haters and trolls. We must always remember that hater’s hate belongs to them, it’s something they should deal with at some point of their lives, or they can live with it forever, but it’s theirs, not ours. We should never allow haters to drag us into their hate zone. Shepard knows that very well. Each person has the right to choose their own way. If what turns you own is to write your name in flashy letters on trains, you have the right to follow that path. But if someone else decides to make the move to the gallery world or start selling T-shirts to be able to live from their art and quit a job they find frustrating, they also have the right to follow their own path. We must learn to respect others and move away from the absolutist view of the world in which people think that their truth is the only truth. It’s important to realize that Obey is not Monsanto, there are some evil corporations out there that deserve all our hatred and boycotting power, but if we lose our time fighting amongst ourselves we are letting them get away with their plans without resistance, because we are wasting our energy elsewhere. We will discuss the power and the tools we have to fight these big corporations when explaining Dadara’s symbiosis. This portrait represents self-growth, personal evolution and the capacity to stay focused on your purpose. That’s why there is a rising sun on the background, which represents strength; and two small rose buds on the bottom corners plus two roses in full bloom on the top, which represent growth. There is a moment in your life when you need to find the strength to walk your own way no matter what others think or say about it. You must move away from your education and preconceptions, from what others expect or want from you, to start walking on your own and finding out who you truly are.

Photography:Digital on Other

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:15

Size:22 W x 29.5 H x 0.4 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.