Shepard Fairey Comes to Cincinnati

During a recently visit with my family in my hometown of Cincinnati, I got a chance to take some pictures of the work of Shepard Fairey. You might remember him for the famous Obama ‘Hope’ poster, or perhaps the Andre the Giant Has a Posse sticker series.

While I was in town, Fairey happened to have an exhibit at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center (designed by Zaha Hadid) and, in tandem with the show, Fairey had installed wheatpaste posters in different parts of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Some of them were very well received; others, not so much.

We were able to find some many of the posters because a family had seen us taking a picture of one. They had just finished their tour and handed us a handwritten list of poster locations. Which is awesome for two reasons: first, treasure hunt! And second, taking pictures of a once-underground street artist is now a family activity.

So here they are, in no particular order:

Andre the Giant is a recurring theme. He shows up all over the place, in both a straightforward representation like this….

… and as more abstract representation, like this (check out those eyes).

Fairey pulls his imagery from a wide variety of sources. This one is inspired by the Black Panther Party, the Zapatistas, Andre the Giant (of course), and, well, Victorian wall paper.

Many, though not all, are overtly political. Issues of class, war and the environment show up again and again.

The ‘Obey’ theme, which originated from the original Andre the Giant stickers, is ubiquitous in Fairey’s art. Fairey’s spun the whole idea into his own publishing and clothing company.

George Orwell’s 1984 is an influence too.

Not sure what this is referencing…. a Target ad?

The following two images are from inside the Contemporary Arts Center and were were at least two stories tall.

The color scheme - red, black, gray - is remarkably constant throughout the different works.

When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with Fairey’s art. I loved that it was counterculture, controversial, adversarial and a direct response to the ever-present world of advertising. I even made my own Andre the Giant stickers and pasted them around the city.

Fairey as an artist today provokes a more complicated set of feelings for me. I really loved this show and how the artwork enlivened different neighborhoods in Cincinnati. That said, Fairey has often been criticized for appropriating imagery, decontextualizing it, and now, using it in clothing and artwork for a profit.

Complications aside, his imagery resonates with me. This one is my favorite (I’d love to see the source image):

Andre the Giant even showed up at the famous Findlay Market.

I’ll be heading back to Cincinnati in a few weeks. I’m curious to see how these outdoor posters have weathered the Ohio winter.

Thanks to Agnes for taking some of these pictures!

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• Karen M. O’Leary’s Handcut City Maps
• Emanuele Pizzolorusso’s Crumpled City Maps
• A Tree Made of Chopsticks
• Charlie Davidson’s Streetwalk
• Shaun Usher’s Scaffoldage