Over a 30 year career Fairey has taken a rather simple idea and allowed it to grow, mutate and morph over that period of time, from affordable screen prints to high end art pieces and a successful clothing line, OBEY GIANT has become a mainstay of popular culture. With the 30 year show heading to London as part of a world tour, we had the chance to check it out. Spread across 2 venues, we hit up the iconic Stolen Space Gallery to see the first half od the show. Just round the corner I spotted my first sign with an Obey Icon sticker standing out from the usual visual noise of London and Brick Lane, a nice marker for our day ahead. When we got to Stolen Space the doors were still locked so we ventured a little further up Brick Lane to see what's new.
Upon our return we were greeted by the staff at Stolen Space who were busy tubing up prints. The front half of the gallery hosted a series of black stencils on metal sheets. The pieces appeared quite simple in execution but upon closer inspection revealed the minute attention to detail for which Fairey is known. Indeed the simple use of 2 tone or a limited palette is one of the many defining features of Obey and continued through the works out back. A wall of faux propaganda posters is offset with iconic portraits of musical icons, a strong inspiration for Fairey and a career staple. The selection featured Bob Marley and George Harrison along with lesser know faces but still with their own stories to be seen. The use of women wearing the hijab and people of colour all feature heavily in Fairey's most recent work although you can trace his open representation values back to his early posters. In an age where representation for people of all faiths, colour and backgrounds becomes ever more important, Fairey has a template that many of us can follow.
Of course some of the works deal with the problematic aspects of our society, greed and wealth accumulation, over reaching governments and climate change also have their moment. Fairey has always been a vocal critic of the power structures that govern us but he's stepped up time and again to lead by example, charting new paths for change as opposed to just shouting into his own echo chamber and taking his important messages beyond the gallery walls and directly onto the streets around the world. Even in Aberdeen, its possible to see Obey stickers on lampposts and mail boxes, a handy reminder of shared values and ideas.
A little further up Brick Lane we found one of the newly completed murals, 1 of 3 created in London during Fairey's visit, showcasing his newer style works. It also highlighted the location of the second part of the exhibition which was housed in the Beats space. Where Stolen Space looked to provide a survey of more recent works, the Beats exhibition showed significant pieces from the last 30 years with highlights that signified important moments in Fairey's development. The 30 large format works showcased the evolution of not only Andre into the Obey Icon but also looks at some of Faireys most iconic images from his 30 year career.
Through the back we found a wall of reclaimed stencils, themselves turned into art works with numerous layers and stencilled motifs overlaid to create unique pieces. The history of Obey is literally layerd up in the paint on those stencils with the centre piece Andre Warhol forming a fitting homage to one of Fairey's heroes. Indeed when looking for a comparison to Fairey's career, Andy Warhol makes for a fitting tribute. Both took existing tools and pushed them to the extreme, both subverted and played with the framework of the art world and arguably created work much bigger than the sum of its parts. Fairey and his Obey Giant works are special for their ability to sit in both the gallery and on the streets without compromising his vision or message. The last few years have seen more large scale mural projects appear but wherever you find a big production piece you'll find stickers and paste ups splattered around, done without permission and keeping true to the ethos that runs throughout Fairey's career.
The final stand alone pieces in the show provided a handy juxtaposition, the iconic Orwellian 'Big Brother' head stares across the room at a simple Obey Icon star, radiating out blocks of colour, showcasing a new palette range for Fairey. Maybe the colours are a sign of things to come as Fairey continues to push his work forward, indeed himself stating that 30 Years of Dissent is less a retrospective and more of a survey of work up to this point. Either way the show is incredible, even up lifting, especially when you consider the simplicity of the humble sticker that started it all!
