Shepard Fairey

Birth : 1970-02-15, Charleston, South Carolina

History

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary artist, graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" (…OBEY…) sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His work became more widely known in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, specifically his Barack Obama "Hope" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Description above from the Wikipedia article Shepard Fairey, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Movies

Moby Doc
Self
A surrealist biographical documentary about trailblazing electronic musician and animal rights activist Moby.
The Art of Protest
Self
Welcome to a never-before-seen tour of the creations by resistance artists around the world. From the streets of Moscow to the shores of Los Angeles and featuring interviews with Tom Morello, Dave Navarro, Moby, Shepard Fairey, and more, this powerful film brings a message of hope and change through radical resistance and righteous social uprising.
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics
Celebrities recall their most mind-bending trips via animations, reenactments and more in this comedic documentary exploring the story of psychedelics.
Carlos Almaraz: Playing With Fire
Self
This is the intimate untold story of the legendary painter, Carlos Almaraz. It chronicles the life of an extraordinary artist and his impact on the Chicano Art Movement; the challenges, the demons, the struggles, the travels, the explorations through sexuality and art movements around the globe. A new and essential perspective shares the artist's full dimensionality in his unique and often humorous voice. It offers a complete view of the complex man, artist, activist, husband, and father. Offering an intimate portrait of a precocious East Los Angeles youth, struggling New York artist, spiritual seeker, intellectual, cultural worker, activist, charismatic leader of the Chicano Art Movement, comrade to Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union and an artist pursuing his dreams. It also shines a light upon the insidious dimensions of the AIDS epidemic during the 80's.
Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies
From ancient cave paintings to Twitter feeds and deep fakes, propaganda's rapid progression hasn't compromised its potency. Tracing its effective use by religious figures, politicians and marketers, director Larry Weinstein crafts a persuasive study of the mechanics behind propaganda. This fascinating investigation confronts us with timely questions: If we grow up surrounded by propaganda, how do we know what is true? What risks are inherited by a society tricked into their perceptions? Freedom of speech is critical to a democracy's survival, yet demagogues have consistently exploited that freedom to coerce willing supporters. Contemporary artists, including Kent Monkman, Shepard Fairey and Ai Weiwei, analyze their politically motivated work, creatively co-opting the conventions of disinformation that have permeated their respective cultures. As our platforms for spreading ideas continue to expand in a digital age, dangerous lies have never been better disguised.
Obey Giant
Self
A documentary that profiles the life and work of artist Shepard Fairey. We follow his roots through punk rock and skateboarding to his creation of the iconic Obama HOPE poster, and the controversy that surrounds it.
ART4SPACE
Back to 2012, near Cap Canaveral, where we witnessed the mission ART4SPACE being born. This film unveils the incredible journey of the artist Invader and his obsession : send one of his art piece to space and bring back the footage.
The Colossus of Destiny: A Melvins Tale
Himself
"How comes no one has ever made a film about The Melvins?" Well, no one has ever tried or thought it even possible.....until now that is. The Colossus Of Destiny - A Melvins Tale is a film about a band who have defied all the rules, for over 32 years and counting, and still managed to succeed and do it their own way. The journey of band members King Buzzo and Dale Crover leads us from the backwards-waters of the Chehalis River in Washington State, down through the Golden Gate of Northern California, and finally settling into the Los Angeles River Basin of Southern California. With the rest of the world thrown in along the way. You will witness first hand the beliefs and attitudes, values and obscenities, slows and fasts, triumphs and toils, loves and hates, wits and giggles of a hugely talented and influential band. And you will also come away with a lesson in how to survive in the wicked world of the music biz without taking yourself too damn seriously.
David Choe: High Risk
Self
Artist David Choe has led a life of high risk, from hedonistic excesses to being imprisoned at a maximum security facility in a foreign country, and yet has been dramatically rewarded for his exploits. Life didn't change much when he traded a $60k fee in favor of stock in a start-up called The Facebook, but now he is estimated to be worth over $250 million, highlighting a colorful career filled with giant street art installations, porn star affairs and investigative reporting for companies like Vice and CNN. Director and childhood friend Harry Kim guides us through the fantastically surreal life of Choe featuring interviews and appearances by Kevin Smith, Eli Roth, Sasha Grey, Sean Parker, and Shepard Fairey.
Brand: A Second Coming
Himself
Comic Russell Brand uses drugs, sex and fame in a quest for happiness, only to find it remains elusive. As he explores iconic figures such as Gandhi, Malcolm X, Che Guevara, and Jesus, he transforms himself into a political antagonist.
Art as a Weapon
Himself
Street art, creativity and revolution collide in this beautifully shot film about art’s ability to create change. The story opens on the politically charged Thailand/Burma border at the first school teaching street art as a form of non-violent struggle. The film follows two young girls (Romi & Yi-Yi) who have escaped 50 years of civil war in Burma to pursue an arts education in Thailand. Under the threat of imprisonment and torture, the girls use spray paint and stencils to create images in public spaces to let people know the truth behind Burma's transition toward "artificial democracy." Eighty-two hundred miles away, artist Shepard Fairey is painting a 30’ mural of a Burmese monk for the same reasons and in support of the students' struggle in Burma. As these stories are inter-cut, the film connects these seemingly unrelated characters around the concept of using art as a weapon for change.
Post New Bills: The Story of Green Patriot Posters
Himself
A short documentary illustrating how art can influence public perception towards environmental issues. Green Patriot Posters is a highly acclaimed multimedia design campaign that challenges artists to deepen public understanding and ignite collective action in the fight against climate change. So far, it has reached five million people through print media, public space and digital culture. The film features interviews with key Green Patriot Posters contributors (Shepard Fairey, Michael Bierut, DJ Spooky, Mathilde Fallot) and its founders (The Canary Project, Dmitri Siegel).
A Beautiful Fucking Experience
Himself
'A Beautiful Fucking Experience,' is a feature length documentary that celebrates music, in particular the live music experience, as told through the journey of The Flaming Lips on their Guinness world record breaking 24 hour tour through the Mississippi Delta.
Bones Brigade: An Autobiography
Himself
When six teenage boys came together as a skateboarding team in the 1980s, they reinvented not only their chosen sport but themselves too – as they evolved from insecure outsiders to the most influential athletes in the field.
Life Remote Control
Vigilante Vigilante: The Battle for Expression
Himself
A new breed of crime-fighter now stalks the urban landscape: the anti-graffiti vigilante. These dedicated blight warriors stop at nothing to rid their neighborhoods and cities of street art, stickers, tags, and posters. Yet several of these vigilantes have become the very menace they set out to eliminate. In their relentless attempt to stamp out graffiti, they've turned to illegally and destructively painting other people's property. VIGILANTE VIGILANTE is the story of two filmmakers who set out to expose these mysterious characters and discover a battle of expression that stretches from the streets to academia.
I'm Still Here
Thanks
I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the film follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to reinvent himself as a hip-hop musician. The film is a portrait of an artist at a crossroads and explores notions of courage and creative reinvention, as well as the ramifications of a life spent in the public eye.
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Himself
Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner.
Teenage Paparazzo
Self
A documentary that examines the relationship between celebrity and society.
Abraham Obama
Self
Artist Ron English travels across the country illegally putting up artwork of President Obama and Abraham Lincoln merged together.
Beautiful Losers
Himself
This documentary follows the lives and careers of a collective group of do-it-yourself artists and designers who inadvertently affected the art world.
Dirty Hands: The Art & Crimes of David Choe
Himself
Los Angeles artist David Choe's kaleidoscopic work can be playful, confrontational and sexually frank. His personal life is no less complicated, as revealed by close friend Harry Kim, who documented Choe's life and crimes from 2000 to 2007. From the manic highs of commercial success and dinosaur hunting in the Congo to the self-destructive lows of Japanese jail sentences and bouts of self-doubt and depression, what begins as a gleeful portrait of a bad-boy artist slowly becomes a poignant celebration of one man's journey, both artistically and spiritually, toward his own uncertain salvation. Written by Travis Miles
Bomb It
Himself
Through interviews and guerilla footage of graffiti writers in action on five continents, the documentary tells the story of graffiti from its origins in prehistoric cave paintings thru its notorious explosion in New York City during the 70’s and 80’s, then follows the flames as they paint the globe.
Dithers: The Cutting Edge of Underground Art From Across the Nation
Self
In studio visits with 30 of early 2000's most prolific emerging street and skate underground artists.
Public Discourse
self
Shot in the classic cinema verité style using compact mini-dv and video 8 cameras, Public Discourse follows the art-making from initial idea through to exhibition, capturing the artists' private and personal moments of exuberance and regret. Public Discourse is about passionate artists who want their work to be seen by a wide range of people rather than be confined to the systemic structures of galleries and museums. This non-fiction film presents an in-depth study of the use of subversive messages, mimicking of advertising methods and the presentation of three-dimensional sculptures to the public.
Andre the Giant Has a Posse
Himself
documentary short by Helen Stickler, which was the first documentary to feature Shepard Fairey and chronicle his influential street art campaign. The film screened worldwide, most notably in the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, Village Voice film critic Ed Halter described the film as: "legendary" and "a canonical study of a Gen-X media manipulation. One of the keenest examinations of '90s underground culture".[citation needed]