As a university professor and director of the leading contemporary art gallery in Washington, DC, I'm always aware of the need to promote political awareness without being merely partisan.
One of my recent efforts, and a year in the making, is the current exhibition at Irvine Contemporary, "Regime Change Starts at Home," with artists Shepard Fairey, Al Farrow, and Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky). The show includes Shepard Fairey's last of 3 unique large-format Barack Obama HOPE portraits. Shepard Fairey is the artist who created the famous Obama HOPE graphic and poster back in January, which has now taken off with a life of its own as the most widely seen image of Barack.
The exhibition is one way to raise awarenenss of the important political issues at stake without being didactic and partisan, but the conclusions for anyone viewing the show are obvious.
You can view and respond to the artists' works here.
I will be happy to welcome anyone who can visit Washington in the new few weeks to see the show, and allow the artists' strong works to help promote Barack Obama's vision for America.
Martin Irvine
martin@irvinecontemporary.com
