Shepard Fairey
Mandala
Mural

Shepard Fairey (American, b. 1970) is a seminal figure in the contemporary street art movement, renowned for his fusion of graphic design, social activism, and public intervention. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Fairey received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1992. His career was launched in 1989 with the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, which evolved into the "Obey Giant" project—a worldwide phenomenon that utilized the aesthetics of mid-century propaganda to investigate the phenomenology of self-perception and the power of public space.

Fairey’s practice occupies the intersection of fine art and commercial design, frequently employing a limited color palette of red, black, and cream to create bold, iconic imagery. His work gained unprecedented global visibility during the 2008 U.S. presidential election with the "Hope" poster, a portrait of Barack Obama that became a definitive symbol of the era. Beyond portraiture, his oeuvre addresses critical socio-political issues, including environmental protection, corporate greed, and human rights, often characterized by a critique of the visual language used by advertising and political regimes.

As the founder of Studio Number One, Fairey has bridged the gap between subculture and mainstream visual communication. His work is held in the permanent collections of major institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Public collections include: The New Museum of Design,New York, NY, San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA, Museum of Modern Art, San Diego, CA, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom, Holly Solomon Gallery, New York, NY, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC, Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Boston, MA, Harvard Print Museum, Cambridge, MA, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston, MA, Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA

Commissioned by Primary.
Miami, 2010