Shepard Fairey
Hillcrest Obey Eye (Never Trust), 2010, Hillcrest, CA
July 2010 — June 2
Burmese Monk, 2010, South Park, CA,
July 2010 — Present
Viva la Revolución, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego,
July 2010 — January 20
Shepard Fairey created two large-scale murals for Viva la Revolución, the first titled Hillcrest, Obey Eye (Never Trust), 2010 was pasted on the side of an Urban Outfitters. The second, Burmese Monk, 2010 was painted on an apartment building. These public works exemplify a shift in Shepard’s artistic process from predominantly making modular murals by pasting images that are printed on paper to painting images directly onto walls. The pasted murals are composed of individual rectangular posters with imagery, which are tiled to create a textured background. The main figures in the composition are large singular paper cut outs. This technique was first used by the artist to paste the image of Andre the Giant, as Shepard’s repertoire of imagery grew so did the size and ambition of the murals. This technique is ideally suited for pasting on walls without permission. The application is fast, it can easily adapt to the architecture of the building and it allows for spontaneity, the artist could respond to walls he encountered as well as site and context. However, the paper and paste are not durable. The murals will eventually deteriorate. As Shepard began to receive invitations to make permanent murals, he needed to develop a new long-lasting technique. In contrast to pasting, the painted murals require planning, the dimensions of the wall must be exact as each design is specific to the wall. Based on the design, the imagery is laser cut and adhered to the wall like a giant stencil. Sections are cutout, removed and painted. This work is meticulous, time-consuming and more complex. Hillcrest, Obey (Never Trust) is one the last wheat pasted murals Shepard made, while Burmese Monk is the first painted mural.
Hillcrest, Obey Eye (Never Trust) and Burmese Monk were part of Viva la Revolución exhibition at The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 2010
Guest Curator: Pedro Alonzo
IG @obeygiant / obeygiant.com
Photo credits: Geoff Hargadon