(image courtesy of theworldsbestever.com)
This past weekend, I took the short excursion from my Kendall Square area apartment down to the waterfront to the ICA in Boston to check out the Shepard Fairley exhibit that's around until August. Known for his Obama 'Hope' piece (that yes, it is there in the flesh in the exhibit -- and yes, I snagged a few against-the-rules iPhone photos of it) during the 2008 election, I wasn't expecting as vast of a span of his work on display at the ICA.
While many of the pieces on display are part of his "Obey" theme (like the above image), the exhibit includes portraits of TuPac, Biggie Smalls, Bob Marley and Andy Warhol (of course) among others. Timely and worldly, Fairley's work reads like a visual novel of our time. Questioning consumerism, peace and the current wars in the world, Fairley properly brings together the world of pop culture with current events seamlessly.
As an avid fan of pop art (I even got the AP Art History award at my high school graduation!), I drew ties from Fairley to the undoubtedly iconic Andy Warhol. Fairley gives thanks to the great pop artist in the form of a portrait, and an image of an unlabelled Campbell's soup can. Much like Warhol in the 1960s, critics have placed pressure and criticism on Fairley and his work. Is a grafittied mural art - or more importantly, does it warrant arrest en route to your own gallery premiere? Is an artistic rendition of an Associated Press photo considered plagarism? Much like the questioning of Warhol's authencity of commercial object art (Soup Cans, Celebrities, etc), Fairley falls in line with those of the past.
Art or not is subjective to your own opinion, but Fairley's work is worth taking a look (or two) of. Check it out at the ICA on Northern Ave in Boston until August 16th, 2009. Only $10 admission for students (or you smart graduates like me that hung onto their student ID).
-M
