Shepard Fairey weighs in on MOCA's mural controversy

When the anarchical spirit of street art meets the buttoned-down world of museums, the results can sometimes be messy and even controversial. The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles learned it the hard way this weekend when it decided to remove a mural it had commissioned from the Italian street artist Blu, only to face accusations of censorship.

Someone who has successfully walked the fine line between being a street artist and a museum-world player is Shepard Fairey. The L.A.-based Fairey began his career as a graffiti artist and has since built his own art empire, exhibiting his creations in some of the top museums around the world.

Fairey also happens to be an associate of Jeffrey Deitch, the director of MOCA who decided to remove the Blu mural. In his former role as a dealer, Deitch exhibited Fairey's work at his New York gallery, Deitch Projects.

In April, Fairey will be one of many artists whose work will be part of MOCA's "Art in the Streets," a massive survey of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the present.

When asked about the MOCA controversy, Fairey said in an e-mail that "this is a complex situation that could have been avoided [altogether] with better communication." He added that "the situation is unfortunate but I understand MOCA’s decision."

Here is Fairey's reaction to the MOCA controversy...

Like many people I was puzzled with the news that the mural had been painted over and I initially speculated that it may have had to do with the City of Los Angeles' moratorium on murals and billboards.  When I inquired further I found out that the mural had been executed prior to being approved by MOCA because MOCA’s people were in Miami for Art Basel at the time... This is a complex situation that could have been avoided [altogether] with better communication.  I’m not a fan of censorship but that is why I, and many of the other artists of the show, chose to engage in street art for its democracy and lack of bureaucracy...

However, a museum is a different context with different concerns.  It would be tragic for the break through of a street art /graffiti show at a respected institution like MOCA to be sabotaged by public outcry over perceived antagonism or insensitivity in Blu’s mural.  Graffiti is enough of a contentious issue already.  The situation is unfortunate but I understand MOCA’s decision. Sometimes I think it is better to take the high road and forfeit a battle but keep pushing to win the war.  Street art or graffiti purists are welcome to pursue their art on the streets as they always have without censorship. I think that though MOCA wants to honor the cultural impact of the graffiti/street art movement, it only exists in its purist form in the streets from which it arose.

— Shepard Fairey

RELATED:

MOCA's mural mess

Italian street artist Blu calls MOCA's removal of his mural censorship

Museum of Contemporary Art commissions, then paints over, artwork

— David Ng

Photo: The anti-war-themed mural by Italian street artist Blu, featuring military-style coffins draped by large dollar bills instead of flags. MOCA both commissioned and removed the work on the north wall of the Geffen Contemporary in downtown Los Angeles. Credit: Brian Forrest.

 

Comments

[lonbch]

"It would be tragic for the break through of a street art /graffiti show at a respected institution like MOCA to be sabotaged by public outcry over perceived antagonism or insensitivity in Blu’s mural."

Of course Shepard Fairey would say this. . .he's been itching to get into a MOCA show for years now. And he's not going to let anyone or anything ruin that for him. He knows what side his, um, bread is buttered.

[Sean]

Shepard your art has been stale for well over a decade now you're outed as a coward too.

[navaswan]

And when the Peter Max of our era weighs in, you know the whole livery line bow like this

[hello]

Shepard Fairey is a either a sell-out or, more likely, was never a street artist to begin with. The man has made a career of coopting real political street art.

[ottova1]

I'm no fan of Fairey's, but most of you caterwauling douchebags seem completely unaware that the Japanese soldiers honored within stone throw's distance mostly died fighting in Italy against Italian fascists and the Nazis. They were largely used as suicide mission cannon-fodder by white American generals fulfilling Churchill's useless vanity invasion. As a result, they suffered some of the highest casualty rates of an American unit in the war while most of their relatives were locked up in the desert.

So what does MOCA do? It brings in an Italian, Blu(lesconi), to put up this dreck when Italy's fastest growing political movement are the fascists AND are part of the ruling coalition. Nice job Clu(lesconi).

Maybe you street whiners can get all worked up when the Armand-Hammer brings in a German street artist to paint a mural overlooking the Westwood Veterans Cemetary, the 405, Wilshire Blvd. and Sabin's headquarters of American-made Israeli jets bombing children in the Gaza Strip and Mossad agents executing Iranian faculty with plenty of shekels and stars of David to go round.

[nothing]

omg, i loved that last post so much i hurts

[Christine Willis]

It seems odd that the people the museum were worried about offending (veterans and soldiers) are the very most important group that need to see and understand the message of the mural. Painful as that may be to them. It is the idealistic and often naive young men who are being exploited in these and other wars. They should be informed and truly understand that their sacrifices are in the service of capitalism and empire, not defense of country. If they then chose to place themselves in harms way that is their choice but it is not right that many of them do not really know the true facts of what their governments are motivated by. The military is in the service of the private corporate world. Money should not be confused with patriotism. And we should all be concerned about what our tax dollars are being used for.

[Anthony]

MoCA Director Deitch is still trying to figure out how to administer a museum and engage a wider community; this is obviously an unfortunate knee-jerk reaction. Graphic artist Fairey is entitled to his opinion, but it's disingenuous, self-serving and ignores the real issues.

[ottova1]

@Christine Willis

Odd, this is the identical argument, I mean verbatim, that Radio Berlin and other fascist media outlets targeted at American Jewish troops, among others, before and during World War 2, to promote their own flavor of socialism. A most impressive display of high-school art-class conformity. Until something more convincing comes along, I’m gonna view this as an incredibly racist and patronizing attack on a poor and powerless minority too polite to raise a ruckus AND a safe target for those worried about impacting their future income streams.

[Donald Frazell]

No one is more naive than art students, after all, what have you ever really learned, or earned? You are the only group on earth that thinks it knows everything with just a bought college degree. Most realize they have just gotten some fundamentals, that really they are just learning basic work job skills and discipline. That the real learning will be on the job and in the real world. Where one doesn't solve all problems with a "clever" phrase, and classes don't end in grades built off of childish self expression. Life goes on. There is no end.

Those who have searved our country are far less naive than you. They have seen far more, and earned respect, not sat around demanding it. Each has his own view, some are against these wars, but not many. Most all recognize the need to have fought in Afghanistan, it supported those who attacked our country. No matter why you think al Qaeda did it or think our policies brought them about, it is the militaries role in all societies to defend it. If it doesnt, it is just at the service of those in power to keep them there. This was a neccesary job, though how well we did it at the top is up for debate. Not whether it was, that is any govenments obligation to its people.

In Iraq we had an evil dictator who deserved to be overthrown. But at what expense to the American people, and a lie as to why and its consequences, that is the debate. One you are not having, as your childish platitudes attempt to raise yourselves above the rest of the American people. As if you are the final arbiter of truth, when you dont even have the good taste to shut up and refrain from proving your ignorance.

The performance of our troops has been exemplary, never in history has a force gone to another country and treated its inhabitants as well. Never knowing who was friend or foe, it took great discipline, sacrifice, and commitment. As those Japanese American troops showed in Italy and so many other of our veterans. I didnt hear much about Pearl Harbor day this year, the extremeist yahoos of both wings focusing on their own supposed superiority.

The universe was here before you, and will be quite fine after you. What will you contirbute to mankinds growth? That is key, and you have yet to even begin that quest. The artworld is inbred and limited, without the positive human learned attributes of sacrifice, commitment, and humility.

There are no easy answers,only good questions that lead to consequences, hopefully ones easier to deal with. Final answers are for game shows and classes, not life. Which is about doing, not pontificating on things you have no clue about. Children should be seen working and studying, not heard blabbing naive truisms.

Another reason
art collegia delenda est
Fine art colleges must be destroyed.

pS. And really, what does a nationality of a supposed artist have to do with this? It has been 55 years since that war, get over it. It may be a bad painting, and childish in outlook, but hardly intentionally racist. Perhaps those in the museum should have known better, doubt the artist would have. But still, thats quite a leap to connect those distant dots. And the Japanese community is far from poor in $, just population as few live in that area anymore anyway. Nazism was National Socialism not international, and all were inferior to the Germanic "race". You really think that Jews didnt know what was happening to their people? Please!