After Obama – Now Fairey Wants to Get People to Vote

His portrait of Obama is believed to have helped the future president to victory. But ahead of the autumn's American election, the American artist Shepard Fairey is trying above all to get his fellow countrymen to go and vote.

» Updated: July 16 2024

» Published: June 14 2024

After Obama – Now Fairey Wants to Get People to Vote
Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT

Share this article

Hans portrait of Obama is believed to have helped the future president to victory. But ahead of the autumn's American election, the American artist Shepard Fairey is trying above all to get his fellow countrymen to go and vote.

The street is as good an exhibition space as Fotografiska in Stockholm for Shepard Fairey, but that does not mean he wants to call himself a street artist. Nevertheless, it is the street art tools he frequently uses in his images: collage, spray paint, and silhouette painting. His mural paintings can be found on six different continents, he explains.

The nearest one can be seen in Copenhagen, nine others back home in Los Angeles.

I have made 135 large ones. It's just a matter of googling.

He is most famous, however, for the image "Hope" of Barack Obama, which also opens the exhibition "Photo synthesis" at Fotografiska in Stockholm. Shepard Fairey based it on a news photograph and was later forced to pay compensation to the American news agency AP, which threatened to sue him. But for Shepard Fairey, the most important thing was to create the portrait itself.

Thank-you letter

First, he did it as a free downloadable image on his website. After the election, he received a thank-you letter from the new president, and now "Hope" hangs at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.

I didn't think it would become the massive viral phenomenon it became. I didn't do it for any campaign, I just wanted to show my support for Obama. When I made it, nobody thought Obama would have a chance.

Almost all of Shepard Fairey's art is political. With his stylized image of a man's face, "André the giant", originally a joke image of a wrestler, he discovered the power of the space usually reserved for advertising. Fairey began combining the images with the word "obey" – obey – to shake up those who follow the path of least resistance instead of offering resistance.

"No solution"

Ahead of the autumn's presidential election, he has made paintings urging people to vote, which will be displayed on billboards.

I like Biden, but he's no convincing leader. Portraying Biden as a hero is no solution ahead of this election, says Fairey.

In 2016, he painted Donald Trump's angry mouth for the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand's single "Demagogue".

But Trump is an amoeba of negative energy that only grows the more attention he gets. He wouldn't exist as a political force if he had just been ignored, which he should have been. He's a malicious cartoon character, an idiot. I'm not doing anything about him for that reason.

Born: 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Lives: In Los Angeles.

Occupation: Artist and activist working in classic street art techniques. He is most famous for his portrait of Barack Obama from 2008, which now hangs at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. He also made a series of portraits used on posters in the women's marches in 2017, arranged in protest against Donald Trump having been elected as the new president.

On display: At Fotografiska in Stockholm with the exhibition "Photo synthesis", 14 June to 13 October.

Tags

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

More news

Cardi B Acquitted in 24 Million Dollar Assault Case
1 MIN READ

Cardi B Acquitted in 24 Million Dollar Assault Case

Danish Director Morten Arnfred Passes Away at 80
1 MIN READ

Danish Director Morten Arnfred Passes Away at 80

Call of Duty Film Adaptation Announced by Activision and Paramount
1 MIN READ

Call of Duty Film Adaptation Announced by Activision and Paramount

Kristersson Shares Favorites in Swedish Cultural Canon Proposal
1 MIN READ

Kristersson Shares Favorites in Swedish Cultural Canon Proposal

Gérard Depardieu to Stand Trial for Rape and Sexual Abuse Allegations
1 MIN READ

Gérard Depardieu to Stand Trial for Rape and Sexual Abuse Allegations

Katrin Sundberg Cancels Shows Due to Rare Eye Cancer
1 MIN READ

Katrin Sundberg Cancels Shows Due to Rare Eye Cancer

Esa-Pekka Salonen to Lead Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2026
1 MIN READ

Esa-Pekka Salonen to Lead Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2026

Mannerström Disappointed by Lack of Swedish Food in Culture Canon
2 MIN READ

Mannerström Disappointed by Lack of Swedish Food in Culture Canon

What Swedish Students Should Learn: Pippi, Ikea, and the Cultural Canon
3 MIN READ

What Swedish Students Should Learn: Pippi, Ikea, and the Cultural Canon

Critics Question Effectiveness of Sweden's Cultural Canon
3 MIN READ

Critics Question Effectiveness of Sweden's Cultural Canon

Sweden's Cultural Canon: 100 Proposed Works Revealed
5 MIN READ

Sweden's Cultural Canon: 100 Proposed Works Revealed

Swedish Cultural Canon Sparks Lively Debate on School Curriculum
3 MIN READ

Swedish Cultural Canon Sparks Lively Debate on School Curriculum

Mikael Yvesand's New Book Explores Darker Themes and Absurdity
4 MIN READ

Mikael Yvesand's New Book Explores Darker Themes and Absurdity

Håkan Hellström Unveils New Album Svensk Rost This October
1 MIN READ

Håkan Hellström Unveils New Album Svensk Rost This October

Denzel Washington Reflects on Career and New Film with Spike Lee
3 MIN READ

Denzel Washington Reflects on Career and New Film with Spike Lee

Sweden to Unveil First Cultural Canon Proposal Today
2 MIN READ

Sweden to Unveil First Cultural Canon Proposal Today

Taylor Swift Breaks Spotify Record Ahead of New Album Release
1 MIN READ

Taylor Swift Breaks Spotify Record Ahead of New Album Release

The Handmaid's Tale Banned in Alberta School Libraries
1 MIN READ

The Handmaid's Tale Banned in Alberta School Libraries

Woody Allen Expresses Interest in Filming with Donald Trump
1 MIN READ

Woody Allen Expresses Interest in Filming with Donald Trump

Police Criticized for Canceling Yasin's Trädgården Festival Performance
1 MIN READ

Police Criticized for Canceling Yasin's Trädgården Festival Performance