Everything
If you don’t know his name, you’d most certainly recognise his work. Remember ‘HOPE‘, the artwork that revolved around Barack Obama’s presidential campaign? This is the man who made it happened.
Shepard Fairey, commonly known as ‘Obey’, is the focal point in a documentary set to be streamed during the White Street Market on June 17th, centralised around the revolutionary work that has been created through his work. Coined ‘OBEY GIANT’, the film delves into Fairey’s upbringing and work, the world of street art, and how it plays a role in politics and pop culture.
The artist who also founded OBEY clothing never intended to become famous, but it was through his sticker campaign named “Andre the Giant has a posse”, that went viral while attending the Rhode Island School of Design which made him known not only to the art community, but the wider public. In 2008, Fairey created a series of Obama posts that later formed the face of the presidential campaign. In 2009, the “HOPE” portrait was acquired by the U.S. National Portrait Gallery and made part of its permanent collection.
The film is directed by Academy Award winner James Moll and produced by James Franco, Jennifer Howell and Elysium Bandini Studios and aims to tell the life and career of the street artist, illustrator, designer, and political activist that is Shepard Fairey.
“It’s surreal, humbling, but also incredibly exciting that I’m deemed worthy enough to be the subject of a documentary film, so I’m incredibly honoured to share the ‘OBEY GIANT’ documentary about my life.”
Stream the documentary through here.
