The mastermind behind the iconic Obey Giant is back at it again. Shepard Fairey has spent the last few days curating a piece for the residents in Berlin, Germany, courtesy of Urban Nation. His newest piece titled, “Make Art, Not War,” tells viewers to put their arms down and pick up a brush.

For the One Wall project Fairey used bold lines and colors reminiscent of communist propaganda art. By applying red and black  to a large wall, the artist creates an abrasive contrast between his color palette and his message of peace.

It’s been 24 years since the destruction of the Berlin Wall, having this piece by Fairey up there is particularly strong in symbolism.

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Contemporary artist, Shepard Fairey, and Hennessy V.S made their final stop of its Shepard Fairey Limited Edition Bottle national tour in NYC yesterday. The final celebration included a roundtable media luncheon that included some delicious food and a Shepard Fairey inspired “Revolution” cocktail. Check out some of the photos from the event below.

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The mural turned out so well that RISK and I decided to collaborate once again and turn the mural concept into a HPM (Hand Painted Multiple) Edition.

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Xavier Prou aka. Blek Le Rat is known as the originator of  modern stencil graffiti art. The French artist began spraying the image of rats on walls back in 1981. The rat is “the only free animal in the city.” It’s impact on its environment is great as rats “spread the plague everywhere, just like street art.”

Blek Le Rat‘s stencils distill the essence of the human struggle into poetically concise images. Blek shows clarity in his work, he makes every stylized mark count, yielding art that is at once personal and universal, economical in gesture, and bountiful in statement.
—Shepard Fairey

Blek believes that graffiti and urban art are the most important artistic movement of all time. “Nowadays, there is not one city in the world that does not have graffiti on its walls. In the past, we’ve never seen a movement with so many people involved. Not even in pop-art, which already carries an important role [in the art world.] Art should be preserved for future generations, and galleries have a responsibility regarding urban art,” because this movement is part of History.

(Translated  from French Article: here)

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Irish stencil street artist ADW is an activist who creates politically charged pieces. His stencil is his weapon and his art qualifies him for the title of guerrilla artist. His illegal pieces end up hidden in street corners and often covered up because what he portrays troubles the higher powers. He is to be listed alongside Shepard Fairey in the America and Banksy in the UK as one of the rising “crisis” artists, according to French Blog Rue 89. The artist found the comparison very flattering.  “I couldn’t believe that to be honest, it was a complete honnor,” he said. (Read more here)

I originally created the piece to reflect all ‘policing’ forces and the increasing militarisation of these forces employed to uphold the law. I guess the piece was born during the worldwide Occupy movements and the savage handling of the protesters. But the motivations dates back further for me and I often think about the unjust killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was mistaken by British police to be a terrorist and shot 8-times in the head at point blank range. The title ‘There is no justice, there’s just us’, was given to me by a friend fit perfectly. So, armed with a history of excessive police force, violence, cover-ups and corruption I set about creating the piece. (Read more here)

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Shepard Fairey just released a new print entitled “God Saves & Satan Invests.” The artist remains truthful to his “OBEY” style using an intriguing slogan and a limited color pallet. Fairey‘s print blurs the line between art and propaganda. Here is the explanation from his blog on the origins of the piece:

“This GOD SAVES & SATAN INVESTS print was inspired by the multiple school and mass shootings that have occurred in recent months. As many of you know from my “2nd Amendment Solutions” print from a couple years ago, (below)  I’m not a big fan of the absurd abundance of guns in the U.S. I’m also perplexed by the claim of much of the nation to have “Christian values”. If god tells us to love our neighbor and not to take another human life, where do the assault weapons and piles of ammo fit into these “Christian values”? I personally think assault weapons fall more in the “Satan’s values” category. I’m not religious, and the text in this print is designed more to illustrate the hypocrisy and  contrast between “values” and actions in this country than to make a religious statement. Anyway, if you claim to dig god, lay off of satan’s tools…. if you don’t believe in god, lay off of satan’s tools!”

 

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In this video, legendary designer, artist and OBEY Clothing frontman Shepard Fairey gives a short explanation of OBEY Awareness.  He speaks about how t-shirts are “a utilitarian canvas” and can be very successful in spreading a message.

In the past, OBEY Awareness has supported causes ranging from Adopt-a-Pet to earthquake relief in Haiti.  100 percent of profits from the program go toward benefiting the various causes.

Visit obeyclothing.com/awareness to find out more and check out the various lines.

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