Part 1 of an article I wrote for jewishinstlouis.org
Every art student learns about the fair use principle, granting us permission to use any image in our artwork as long as we transform it so that it conveys new meaning. But beyond that all-encompassing definition, we don’t know what transgressions, if any, we are actually committing.
Recently in the news is the preemptive lawsuit artist Shepard Fairey filed against the Associated Press. According to Fairey the AP threatened to sue him unless he pays royalties for the image that he used as source material for his now famous campaign poster of Barack Obama. Fairey argues that he is protected by the fair use principle. He claims that his intention was not to reproduce any particular image, but instead was to capture a specific gaze representative of the ideas of hope and change.
In an interview on NPR, Fairey declared he was going forward with this suit on behalf of all artists, the thousands of artists that created their own campaign images in the same grassroots manner, pulling images from the web in support of the message of hope, change and a new administration in Washington.
screen shot of: first page of google image search results for "Barack Obama"
I am fascinated by Fairey’s implication that the process of appropriating and re-contextualizing Google image search results might be considered a grassroots action. As an artist, I frequently use images that that I find on Google. Like Fairey suggested, my motivation for using these images is to highlight the search itself, not the derivative image.
Perhaps then, these cyber Robin Hoodian actions—using and transforming Google image search results—are capable of changing the structures that control the dissemination of information. After all, the order that information appears in Google searches is determined by the amount of people searching any given topic. And as a result of the Fairey’s appropriation, his campaign poster may be forever linked to Obama’s presidency.
email from President Obama
Obama’s popularity can be credited to his skillfully constructed presidential campaign that effortlessly linked his name to hope. I was quick to jump onto Obama’s online campaign message of hope. Like many others, I subscribed to his twitter, facebook, and YouTube pages. I now get weekly emails from him and I even have a blog on his site…
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
Fairey wrote about Barack, "I believe with great conviction that Barack Obama should be the next President. I have been paying close attention to him since the Democratic convention in 2004. I feel that he is more a statesman than a politician. He was against the war when it was an unpopular position (and Hillary was for the war at that time), Obama is for energy and environmental conservation."
We were honored to have commissioned this limited edition Obama print that you can purchase at Store.BarackObama.com.
"I wanted to make an art piece of Barack Obama because I thought an iconic portrait of him could symbolize and amplify the importance of his mission. I believe Obama will guide this country to a future where everyone can thrive and I should support him vigorously for the sake of my two young daughters. I have made art opposing the Iraq war for several years, and making art of Obama, who opposed the war from the start, is like making art for peace. I know I have an audience of young art fans and I'm delighted I can encourage them to see the merits of Barack Obama." - Shepard Fairey
To learn more about Shepard Fairey visit Wikipedia.com
I completely forgot to snap a pic of it, but there's a Shepard Fairey (ObeyGiant.com) "Progress" paster on the 1st floor bulletin board of Forbes Hall at Pitt.
Not living there I didnt have chance to see it before today. Next time I'm passing through I'll take a snap of it though and update the post.
A Clinton supporter seems to have put up their own decidedly less posse-rific printout on the same board - which is why I regret not snapping. The juxtapoz is a little bit art itself.
Will do next time i've a chance, unless someone beats me to it.
(And props to the poster, whoever you are.)
I'm asking folks to check out my art blog if you like, it lives at www.uber.com/snd, since I often post about the campaign and especially its art components, and plus I can upload pictures over there.
This is the most recent such one, about my friend Shepard's gorgeous posters. The first time he ever took a stand in real-time politics. He's not alone.
http://www.uber.com/snd/blogs/Art__Politics_new_posters_from_Shepard_Fairey_1.html
And here are some direct links to his page with those posters (downloadable hi-res images to share and print) and other fantastic posts:
http://obeygiant.com/main.php/
Including shots from around the city where dedicated posterers have expressed their support. I love seeing these images out in the streets...
http://obeygiant.com/post/super-wednesday#more-563
