In early August, Shepard Fairey was in Copenhagen putting up murals all over the city (covered here and here) in preparation for his solo exhibit, Your Ad Here, which opened in on August 5th. His works were full of peace symbols like doves, elephants and roses, but they were not received that way by the Copenhagen audience. Apparently, due to some local politics, the murals were interpreted as offensive. Fairey explained the situation like this:
The mural location in question had a controversial history of clash between the city and the supporters and inhabitants of the Youth House formerly located there. In spite of efforts by myself, my gallery, and the Youth House, to correct the record, media outlets continued to perpetuate the misconception that I had been hired or at least prompted by the city to create my mural at the former Youth House location.
Well, that misconception, as he puts it, got a bit carried away. The murals were defaced and riots were held by their side. Now, Fairey has released a statement on the event, defending his view of things. His words shed a lot of light on the situation in Copenhagen and Fairey’s view of street art as a method of expression. He even calls it “one of the most democratic, accessible, empowering, and inspiring art forms there is.” Read his full account here.
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