Image via Complex Original
The imagery behind the Obey brand is almost instantly recognizable, whether you're a fan of street art or not. In the 1990s, stickers began appearing in Rhode Island proclaiming that Andre the Giant should run for mayor and that he had a posse. After his design for Obama’s 2008 Hope Campaign, Shepard Fairey was rocketed into superstardom.
People may not instantly recognize Fairey's name, but the ubiquitous image of Obama as the United States' hopeful future is instantly recognizable. Through these simple, layered graphic portraits, the artist has made a name for himself both inside and outside the art world. Rhiannon Platt and avid fan Halopigg have partnered to bring you a few facts you might not know about the man behind the ever-present “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” image.
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His first name is actually Frank.
His birth name is Frank Shepard Fairey. He was born February 15th, 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Andre sticker was created to teach a friend how to stencil.
During his time as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, Fairey's friend wanted to learn how to stencil. For the casual lesson, he chose an image of Andre the Giant. Without knowing it, he gave birth to the iconic image.
Before Obey Giant, there was Alternate Graphics.
Before today's Obey Giant clothing line, there was Alternate Graphics. Through printed catalogues, you could order screen printed shirts, stickers, and, if you were smart, super early screen prints circa 1994. Prices ranged from $.05 for black and white stickers to a few dollars for prints.
In addition to using propaganda imagery, he is also a fan of John Carpenter.
Viewers may recognize a lot of the artist's imagery from Russian Propaganda and Supremitism. However, he has also been influenced by John Carpenter's posters, specifically "They Live."
You've heard of Andre, but have you heard of AG Soda?
Early in his career, Fairey had two large-scale campaigns. The first is, of course Andre Has a Posse. His less prominent stencil, which replaced OK Soda with AG, for Andre the Giant of course.
When bombing in Philly, Fairey used to crash with Adam Wallacavage.
When Shepard would visit Philadelphia in the 1990s to put up work, he would often stay with photographer/chandelier sculptor Adam Wallacavage. Often Wallacavage would receive artwork in exchange for his hospitality.
He has released over 1,000 prints in 20 years.
In his career, Fairey has released over 1,000 prints. Other than a few aberrations, he has primarily stuck to his red, black, and cream color palette. Years and much fame later, he still releases affordable prints at $45, if you are lucky enough to snap one up.
Shepard's wife Amanda often models for his pieces.
Shepard's wife Amanda often models for his pieces. She has graced every medium the artist has used, including murals, stickers, and prints.
He was the final headliner at Jeffrey Deitch's New York Space.
Before leaving New York for MOCA, Deitch held one last show with Shepard Fairey. The "May Day" exhibition had fans waiting in lines around many street blocks to receive affordable prints.
The artist also goes by the name DJ Diabetes.
He occasionally spins hits under the name DJ Diabetes, a disease from which he suffers. Tunes usually include hip-hop, punk, and electronic music (basically, anything with a fun dance beat).
It took only three months for the first bootleg to surface.
Within three months of his infamous Andre for Mayor sticker, bootlegs began to surface. Even more have come to light after his increased popularity with the Obama Hope poster. Some fans collect these as bizarre additions to their legit Fairey collections, and some are even listed on his website.
He designed a patch for NASA.
Last year the artist designed a patch for NASA's trip to the International Space Station. He was commissioned by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space for the ARK1 mission.
KAWS once told him to mix his colors up.
In the 2000s, artist KAWS gave Fairey advice to change his color scheme up from his standard red, black, and cream. The end result was a limited run of blue stickers.
He once paid tribute to Eminem's D12 group.
When Big Proof (from Eminem's posse, D12) died, Shepard designed and sold a tribute print with a very large run of 1,500. All of the proceeds from the print went to Big Proof's family. To date, the print is still available for purchase.
Fairey designed the wedding invitations for Russell Brand and Katy Perry.
In 2010, musician Katy Perry and comedian Russell Brand tied the knot. To commemorate the occasion, they spared no expense and commissioned wedding invites from Shep.
He also designed a poster for the Grammys.
For the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, Fairey was commissioned to design a poster. Included in his traditional style was an old school phonograph.
The artist lent his hand to redesign the book cover of Animal Farm.
In 2008, the artist lended his propaganda style to George Orwell's political allegory Animal Farm. Appropriately, he has also reworked Orwell's classic 1984.
Fairey has collaborated with (almost) everyone.
The list of the artist's collaborators is seemingly endless. Partnering artists have included Saber, Cope2, Barry McGee, Kaws, Mike Giant, Andy Howell, Tommy Guerrero, Aaron Rose, Jamie Reid, BNE, and Martha Cooper.
There is a forum for collectors of his work, as well as the work of other street artists.
There is an online collecting forum that focuses on Shepard Fairey as well as other artists within the street art, contemporary art, and graffiti scenes. It has over 7,500 members and has been in operation for 8 years.
Obey wallpaper exists.
Just when it seems as if Obey has covered every surface imaginable, someone has made a patterned wallpaper for the company. Curio Wallcoverings has partnered with them to produce limited-run images to cover every inch of your space.
