From Obey the Giant to Barack Obama

When you hear the expression “Urban Contemporary Art” you probably would guess street art or graffiti. In the United States this term probably became official on Saturday, Jan 17th 2009 with the unveiling of the mixed media collage "Barack Obama" at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. First known for his "Obey" street art, Shepard Fairey was the mind and hands behind the historic interpretation of President Barack Obama.

Today I came across a picture that caught my eye. It featured a man wearing an elegant suit, big smile. He was standing right next to the famous "Barack Obama" portrait. It took me a good 5 seconds to realize "oh dear, this is Shepard Fairey!"
It’s shocking if you’re used to see a cute guy in jeans and t-shirt, always hanging out, all of the sudden in an official Associated Press picture in the news. I was truly happy for him; it was like seeing an old friend make it big.

It's needless to say how much of a big fan I am of Shepard's work. I actually met him personally during Art Basel in Miami and he was just delightful. I admire how dedicated he's been to his art, his skillful designs, and how driven he's been. It's just amazing to follow an artist work so closely for so long, but it's even better to see that rising star become an icon. It just gives me HOPE.

Coming back to that picture, when I saw it two things came to my mind. The first was Shepard putting the Urban Contemporary Art movement in the spotlight. The second was to see how the appreciation of art is evolving in the United States.
In the year 2008 Barack Obama was elected President of The United States of America. The image chosen for his campaign was a stencil portrait instead of the classic, safe and boring Adobe Illustrator Logo. If you think about it, in terms of design and art history, this is a remarkable fact and a choice completely relevant to this generation.
But this image did come from the mind of an American Street Artist, who in order to get his designs out there, used to sneak out late at night, when nobody was watching. I don’t know if they were trying to say something between the lines but it is a funny fact, don’t you think?

Kudos to Obama for winning, and Kudos to Shepard for making history. Now, can we please define Urban Contemporary Art?

Left, Shepard Fairey at the National Portrait Gallery.
Right, Shepard's "Obey" design