Ever heard of Shepard Fairey? He’s the artist who invented those Obey Giant stickers you see on every street sign on planet Earth. He also made some campaign posters for Obama. Maybe you saw that, or maybe you saw one of the hundred parodies?
I think Fairey’s art is pretty amazing in the way he makes it more important than his ego. It’s art that other people can pick up and call their own.
Every week we put another Mercury on the street, and my hope is to do the same thing as Fairey. I want people to take home the paper, tear off the cover, and tape up on their wall. That’s why having Fairey’s art gracing our removable cover this week isn’t just a honor, it’s a testament to public art.
Look! People are already pasting it up around town!
I’d be more tempted to do something with the cover if it didn’t have the Merc’s logo up on there.
Look, I’m a huge fan of well done street art (and a huge hater of lazy dick drawings and shitty tags) – I love great graffiti, and the awesome roller derby posters around town.
I love this cover, too, but you should know that a post like this is beyond the pale: it makes you seem like any other corporation trying to make something referencing their product “go viral.”
Sorry if that’s harsh, like I said, I love your work in general and this cover in particular.
I wonder who he stole that image from?????
I have Zubko’s Betty White/Ritter/Volcano/Chainsaw Mercury cover stuck to a furnace duct in the basement.
Print copies of The Mercury have often been invaluable to me in starting fires. Thanks guys!
Lol he invented the Obey Giant stickers… http://www.art-for-a-change.com/Obey/index…
I thought pretty much everyone was aware of this by now.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Grassroots “flashmob” to appear in Pioneer Courthouse Square to support…
@ mynamehere
I posted that here once before.
Graham poo-pooed it’s poor writing whilst not denying the FACTS.
I hope none of my favorite local bands ever ask me if I’ve heard of U2.
I have Vol. 4, No. 16 on my wall.
Love me some cats.
I always thought he copied the Andre/Obey thing from those “Andre the Giant has a posse” stickers which I saw all over the country, years before I ever saw the “obey” image.
Some dude named Dudley has been tagging my neighborhood this week.
Mynamehere: good old fashioned jealousy. Abusive: it’s called appropriation and artists have used ito for centuries. Please take time to read Fairey’s 1989 manifesto on what he is attempting to do. And yes, he “invented” the Obey sticker campaign.