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New Mural Installation at Pace Prints

Shepard and his assistant Nicholas Bowers spent the day at Pace Prints 521 West 26th Street yesterday, installing two site-specific murals. These will be on view in the windows of the gallery and will be visible from the Highline and the street.

Shepard’s exhibition Harmony & Discord opens tomorrow, Saturday May 5, at noon.

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posted May 4th, 2012

Rest in Peace Adam Yauch

The world has lost a great musician who will always be an inspiration to me and those at OBEY GIANT.

-Shepard Fairey

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posted May 4th, 2012

“Harmony & Discord” at Pace Prints

Our friend Tanley Wong from Arrested Motion published a feature in anticipation of the upcoming “Harmony & Discord” exhibition at Pace Prints. Check it out. - Shepard.

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posted May 2nd, 2012

Shepard Fairey: Harmony & Discord X Pace Prints NYC

Shepard Fairey: Harmony & Discord
Opening: Saturday, May 5, 12-8pm
May 5 – June 16, 2012
Pace Prints, NYC

Pace Prints is pleased to present Harmony & Discord, an exhibition of new works by Shepard Fairey, created in the Pace Editions studios in New York. This is Shepard’s first exhibition with Pace Prints and premiers his first works in handmade paper as well as the largest screenprints he has done to date.

Harmony & Discord references the global dichotomy of politics; what forces it creates on the grand scale and how that reflects on the actions and awareness of the individual. Responding to the energy of New York, Fairey worked on this technically complex body of work in a series of sessions at the Pace Editions studios. During this residency he also went out on the streets and made a number of large murals.

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posted May 2nd, 2012

Shepard at Pace Prints

Watch Shepard preparing for his upcoming solo at Pace Prints (26th street location) opening on May 5th. What you may not have known was that this exhibition, Harmony & Discord, has been over a year in the making. Last year, Shepard spent over a month living in New York City during a residency at the renowned Brooklyn studio location of Pace (with many more trips between LA & NYC since then), joining an exclusive & esteemed group of blue-chip alumnus who have graced the iconic gallery such as Yue Minjun, Ed Ruscha, Yoshitomo Nara, Sol Lewitt, George Condo, and Chuck Close, just to name a few.

Shepard invited Arrested Motion in to spend a day at this impressive studio as he and his 1st assistant Nicolas Bowers literally worked on hands & knees to craft this intricate collection of works. From hand-made Egyptian cotton rag to intricately chiseled metal embossment plates, Mr. Fairey took nothing for granted as he experimented and pushed his already superb printmaking abilities to another level that will be sure to wow even the most diehard OBEY Fan.

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posted May 1st, 2012

Sotheby’s Petition

May Day is a day to celebrate workers’ rights and protest the erosion of workers’ rights. We’ve seen a steep decline in workers’ rights and relative income since Reagan began his reign of union busting and corporate favoritism more than 30 years ago. The issues of wealth and power being concentrated in the hands of people who corrupt the system in their favor extend to the art world. As a practicing artist I know how difficult it is to make a comfortable living in the art world for 99% of the participants while a small group of elite control and manipulate the system and market. I try to be very populist In my art practice and avoid putting myself at the mercy of the art world’s power players. The union workers employed in the art world don’t have a choice but to deal with the most successful and powerful businesses. In a perfect example of the folly of “Trickle Down” economics, Sotheby’s, the art world’s most successful auction house, has chosen to mistreat its union labor force in an effort to divert a bit more money to the top. Read more here and sign the petition to support the Sotheby’s art handlers. Thanks for caring.
-Shepard Fairey

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posted May 1st, 2012

May Day, May 1

May 1, May Day, there are many Occupy actions happening. If you are in NY check out this link and get involved. There are actions happening all over the country so wherever you are, support the People Power! Thanks for caring.
-Shepard Fairey

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posted April 30th, 2012

Occupy May First

My friend and activist Gia Trimble wrote a piece about the general strike on May 1(May Day) and the state of corruption in our economic system. I agree with the main principles of this piece, and I think the value of a general strike lies in it’s potential to demonstrate “People’s Power” and send a message. My concern is that a general strike also hurts small businesses that play no role in corrupting the political process. I have often discussed the power of how we choose to spend our money as an important democratic principle. As citizens we exert a lot of influence with our spending habits and what companies we support or don’t support, based on their ethics, is very consequential. I urge everyone to not only send a message with your spending, or lack of, on May 1, but to be mindful of who you support economically all year long.

-Shepard

In November 2011, Occupy Los Angeles unanimously passed a resolution calling for a general strike which was subsequently adapted by occupations throughout the country. Scheduled for May 1st, the goal is to briefly disrupt our economic system which secures wealth and power for the 1% at the expense of everybody else.

We currently live in a society where corporations rule everything around us. The capitalism that Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney advocate for is far from actual capitalism; it’s state-sponsored corporatism. With the help from the government, these monster corporations suffocate small businesses and influence laws highly detrimental to a healthy economy.

Bills such as S.O.P.A which was written to censor the internet, was put fourth by Representative Lamar Smith from Texas whose campaign was funded by media conglomerates who are in a position to make profits from censoring the internet.

Since the well-being of society holds no value to the oligarchs, we shall remind them! We are citizens, not consumers.

A corporation answers to the stock holders who in return answer to the market value of the product. When the value of the product is threatened, the leadership of the company will do what is necessary to protect the value of the product. When GoDaddy’s margin was affected by a backlash of support over S.O.P.A, they rapidly changed their tune.

On May 1st let’s reject the systemic corruption of our economic system. Is the economy good enough not to protest? Whilst not everyone is capable of walking out of school or work, participation in any capacity is crucial. If you must make purchases, support your locally-owned businesses! We have suffered stagnation as a society, the current situation we find ourselves in didn’t happen overnight. Together we must stand up for our future and all of those who are oppressed!

For More information:

Occupy May First

S.O.P.A

Lamar Smith Campaign Contributions

Gia Trimble

posted April 30th, 2012

Subliminal Projects x Stanley Donwood

SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS is pleased to announce Lost Angeles, a solo exhibition of art by British artist Stanley Donwood.

LOST ANGELES

Work by Stanley Donwood

April 28 – May 26, 2012

Opening Reception: Saturday, April 28^th • 8PM – 10 PM

There is no future. We have evicted ourselves from our own cities, rendered our agriculture poisonous, criminalized the poor, aggrandized the rich, honored the stupid and ridiculed the intelligent…I have no solutions, no wisdom to offer…Whilst Rome burns, I take up my little chisel and I carve a panoramic apocalypse of my own…and if you want to see it, you’re more than welcome. – Stanley Donwood, 2012

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posted April 27th, 2012

New Blood x Morgan Spurlock

New Blood
Curated by Morgan Spurlock
Opening Reception with the Artist(s):
Saturday, April 28, 2012
5:00pm – 9:00pm

Thinkspace is honored to be working with producer/director/writer/collector Morgan Spurlock (The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Supersize Me) on his debut curatorial project. New Blood aims to showcase artists that Spurlock feels have changed the art world forever and has in turn given each of them the chance to invite a protégé of their choice to profile alongside their own work in this very special exhibit. Shepard is participating in the exhibition and has chosen Nicholas Bowers as his counterpart. Be sure to stop by and see these amazing pairings.

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posted April 27th, 2012