Shepard Fairey could produce film adaptation of '1984'

Shepard Fairey has a less hopeful project in the works. The Los Angeles street artist has teamed up with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment to adapt George Orwell’s dystopian classic “1984” for the big screen.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Fairey was instrumental in bringing the book to Imagine, which will partner with LBI Entertainment for the project, and could end up with a producer credit once the deal is done. 

Orwell’s seminal 1949 literary work has been adapted for film a few times -- most recently, (and appropriately) in 1984 in a rather forgettable version starring John Hurt and Richard Burton.

The story follows Winston Smith in a post-nuclear war world of totalitarian politics, propaganda and surveillance. Smith works for a branch of government called the Ministry of Truth while harboring desires of rebellion and forbidden love. 

Fairey, best known for creating the Barack Obama "Hope" poster, has spent time onscreen in the 2010 Banksy documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and recently had a vocal cameo on “The Simpsons” where he played a police informant posing as a street artist.

In February, Fairey entered a guilty plea in his criminal case with the Associated Press involving his use of an AP photo for the Obama poster. The artist admitted to destroying documents, manufacturing evidence and other misconduct.

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--Jamie Wetherbe

Photo: Shepard Fairey. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Shepard Fairey plays himself, sort of, on 'The Simpsons'

On Sunday, "The Simpsons" took a trip into the world of street art with the help of vocal cameos by some of the field's most recognizable names -- Shepard Fairey, Robbie Conal, Kenny Scharf and Ron English. The episode was titled "Exit Through the Kwik-E Mart," referencing the Oscar-nominated street-art documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop."

Fairey's participation went beyond the usual "Simpsons" cameo call-of-duty, presenting a plot twist that was both comedic and revealing of Fairey's complicated public persona.

When Bart decides to seek revenge on Homer, he creates a street-art poster featuring his father's drunken likeness over the word "Dope." (The poster is a nod to Fairey's "Obey" posters of Andre the Giant.) Bart teams up with Milhouse to paint the town with Homer-themed graffiti.

The duo are confronted in a dark alley by Fairey and his cohorts. They like Bart's work so much that they decide to give him his own gallery show. But -- spoiler alert -- the Springfield police arrest Bart at the "El Barto" art opening. It turns out that Fairey is actually a police informant and that the gallery show was just a means of apprehending him.

Fairey's decision to play himself as a secret police informant can be read on the simplest level as a comic riff on his rebellious persona and fashionable outlaw status. But the plot twist also touches (perhaps unintentionally) on a common accusation leveled at Fairey -- that he is a sell-out.

Shepard Fairey enters guilty plea in criminal case with AP

 

Shepard Fairey, the Los Angeles street artist, has entered a guilty plea in his criminal case with the Associated Press. The artist pled guilty in a New York court to one count of criminal contempt for destroying documents, manufacturing evidence and other misconduct in his case involving his "Hope" poster of Barack Obama.

Fairey admitted in 2009 to destroying documents and submitting false images in his legal battle with the AP.  The news organization had accused Fairey of improperly using an AP photo of Obama in his "Hope" poster. Fairey claimed that he was covered by fair-use laws.

In 2011, the artist settled his civil case with the AP out of court.

A sentencing date has been set for July 16. The U.S. Attorney's Office said in a release that the artist faces a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a maximum term of supervised release of one year. He also faces a maximum fine of $5,000.

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Photo: Shepard Fairey. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Shepard Fairey, other street artists to appear on 'The Simpsons'

 

You aren't really a celebrity until you've had a guest spot on "The Simpsons." In March, Shepard Fairey and fellow street artists Ron English, Kenny Scharf and Robbie Conal will enter that hallowed pantheon of stars when they lend their voices (and likenesses) to the enduring Fox animated series.

Fairey said on his website Wednesday the episode is scheduled to air on March. 4. The episode is titled "Exit Though the Kwik-E-Mart," a play on the street-art documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop."

According to Fairey's site, the episode has a strong street-art theme. When Bart plasters posters of Homer's face around Springfield, he's caught by Fairey and his cohort. But they end up liking Bart's artwork so much that they offer him a solo gallery show.

Fairey and company won't be the first visual artists to have lent their talent to "The Simpsons."

Shepard Fairey designs 'Person of the Year' for Time magazine

When Time magazine, voice of the establishment, chooses "The Protester" as its person of the year,  only one artist is really suitable for the job of creating the publication's inevitably ironic cover. Shepard Fairey, designer dissident, stepped up to the plate.

Ai Weiwei he's not.

The Los Angeles graphic designer, 41, whose thriving youth-market business, Obey Giant, encompasses a wide array of retail products, produced a signature image for Time Warner's flagship franchise. The masked, shrouded, bust-length head staring out from newsstands has all the marks of the artist's familiar brand. As in his big, corny paintings of Arab women wielding AK-47s, which claim an essential (and insupportable) superiority for maternal benevolence, it's wince-inducing.

Fairey's work, as I wrote at the time of his tiresome 2009 survey exhibition at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art, is to current graphic design what '70s sampling was to pop music. The mash-up of fragmentary sources, all on vivid display in "The Protester," includes Andy Warhol's high-contrast silk-screen technique, Russian Constructivist propaganda (Varvara Stepanova, the Stenberg brothers, Alexander Rodchenko), anonymous news photographs, American government-issue engravings (stamps, currency, pamphlets), Barbara Kruger's red-white-and-black Minimalist images with text, psychedelic advertising, Mexico's Popular Graphics Workshop from the 1940s and more.

The style oozes cozy, collectible nostalgia. On the cover of Time, the schmaltzy result trivializes the portentous power — and authentic potential — of the "Arab spring," Occupy Wall Street and whatever might-or-might-not be breaking now in Russia. Questioning authority never looked more corporate and conventional.

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@twitter.com/KnightLAT

Photo: Shepard Fairey's cover design. Credit: Time.

Shepard Fairey modifies 'Hope' poster for Occupy movement

Shepard Fairey is perhaps one of the most politically engaged street artists working today. In recent weeks, he has lent his support to the various Occupy protests around the country, even creating a poster for the Occupy Wall Street movement. Now Fairey has fashioned his biggest contribution yet to the grassroots effort -- a modified version of his famous "Hope" poster that calls for President Obama to support the movement.

Fairey unveiled the new poster on his website late last week. The image, shown above, substitutes Obama's face with a figure wearing the Guy Fawkes protest mask that has become a sartorial symbol of the Occupy rallies.

"This image represents my support for the Occupy movement, a grassroots movement spawned to stand up against corruption, imbalance of power, and failure of our democracy to represent and help average Americans," the artist wrote on his site.

"On the other hand, as flawed as the system is, I see Obama as a potential ally of the Occupy movement if the energy of the movement is perceived as constructive, not destructive."

The text at the bottom of the poster reads: "Mister President, we HOPE you're on our side."

The Guy Fawkes masks have become a common sight among protesters of the Occupy rallies. They are a reference to the famous English historical figure who tried to blow up the House of Lords in the early 17th century. The version of the mask seen in the Occupy movement comes from the popular book "V for Vendetta" and its 2006 film adaptation.

Fairey's original "Hope" poster debuted during Obama's 2008 presidential run and featured an idealized image of the then-senator. The poster was the subject of a legal battle with the Associated Press, which contended that Fairey illegally used one of its photographs as an inspiration for the artwork. 

Perhaps anticipating similar legal issues with the revised "Hope" poster, Fairey wrote on his site: "I'm still trying to work out copyright issues I may face with this image, but feel free to share it and stay tuned..."

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-- David Ng

Image credit: Shepard Fairey

Street artists sue AEG in dispute over lost artwork in penthouse [Updated]

This post has been corrected. Please see note at bottom for details.

Anschutz Entertainment Group, which sent treasures from King Tut’s tomb around the world without apparent mishap, operates the Grammy Museum and runs the current touring exhibition, “America I Am: The African American Imprint," now stands accused in U.S. District Court of destroying works by street artists Mear One, Chor Boogie and Shark Toof that had been displayed in a penthouse at its Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live hotel and condo tower.

It wasn’t AEG’s exhibitions wing, but its real estate division, that allegedly mishandled the five artworks, which ranged from 3.5 feet to 8 feet in height, and 12 to 35 feet in width, according to the suit, which was filed Monday and seeks damages under the federal Visual Artists Rights Act and California’s Art Preservation Act.

[Updated, 5:15 Tuesday] In a brief written statement Tuesday, AEG said that the lawsuit does not "accurately or completely set forth the facts of this matter," and that it "looks forward to vigorously defending itself in court."

According to the suit, the episode began with an attempt at synergy between street art and real estate sales: In conjunction with the L.A. Art Show last January at the Los Angeles Convention Center, AEG threw a promotional party with hopes of using the buzz around street artists to recruit well-heeled potential condo buyers.

'Ides of March' pays homage to Shepard Fairey

"The Ides of March," the new film directed by George Clooney, takes place during the bitter cold of a presidential primary election in Ohio. The protagonist is Stephen Myers, a young, ambitious press officer played by Ryan Gosling, who is masterminding the campaign of the liberal Democratic candidate Mike Morris (Clooney). But a surprise revelation turns the race into an ethical obstacle course fraught with tough choices for the entire team.

As a director, Clooney has shown that he has a sharp eye for detail. In the new movie, the Morris ticket is represented by a "Believe" campaign poster that is likely to strike viewers as oddly familiar. The poster, seen in the photo above, bears a strong resemblance to the "Hope" poster of Barack Obama, created by artist Shepard Fairey during the 2008 presidential race.

Fairey didn't design the poster for the movie, according to the artist's spokesman. But the artist's signature aesthetic is unmistakably present throughout the movie, with the "Believe" poster highly visible at the Morris campaign headquarters and various political rallies.The similarity between the two posters is no doubt deliberate and gives the movie a sense of verisimilitude and immediacy.  Obama shares some similarities to the Morris character, a left-wing politician whose platform includes pro-environment reform and a reduction in U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

"Ides" is adapted from the play "Farragut North," by Beau Willimon. The play was produced at the Atlantic Theatre Company in New York in 2008 and then at the Geffen Playhouse in L.A. in 2009. For the L.A. production, Chris Pine played the young press officer, while Chris Noth played his immediate supervisor. (The Morris character remained an off-stage presence in the play.)

Shepard Fairey explains new poster for Aung San Suu Kyi movie

Shepard Fairey has created a poster for the new movie "The Lady," a biopic based on the life of the Burmese pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. The film, which is directed by Luc Besson and stars Michelle Yeoh, was shot under a veil of secrecy due to the sensitive nature of its subject.

The new poster by Fairey, which was reported Monday in Deadline, is based on the street artist's previous poster of Aung, but instead uses Yeoh's likeness. The artist sent Culture Monster a statement Tuesday via his representative:

"The film makers asked me to do the movie poster based on my original Aung San Suu Kyi poster, but the illustration is of Michelle Yeoh, the actress who plays [her]. Any project that tells Aung San Suu Kyi's story and sheds light on Burma, I'm psyched to support. The small clips of the film I've seen look amazing."

Keep reading to see Fairey's poster for "The Lady"...

Monster Mash: Rembrandt found; details on Shepard Fairey assault

Got it: The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says it has recovered in Encino the Rembrandt sketch valued at $250,000 that was snatched over the weekend from a hotel. (Los Angeles Times)

Brave face: Artist Shepard Fairey has posted a photograph of himself after he was assaulted recently in Denmark. Details about the attack continue to emerge. (Obey Giant and Art Info)

Worthy cause: Plácido Domingo will sing in an October concert in Christchuch, New Zealand, to benefit the city that was hit by an earthquake this year. (New Zealand Herald)

Emmy nominee: Paul Reubens, better known as Pee-wee Herman, will answer questions in a live chat Wednesday at noon PT. (Los Angeles Times)

Making a statement: Conductor Daniel Barenboim led a recent peace-themed concert in South Korea, near the border with North Korea. (Voice of America)

Imminent departure? Reeve Carney, who is starring in Broadway's "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," has landed a movie role as singer Jeff Buckley. (E! Online)

Settlement: The Hague city government has agreed to pay the equivalent of $1.4 million to the heir of a Jewish art dealer whose gallery was looted for part of a Jan Steen painting. (Bloomberg)

Pay cut: The music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced he would take a 10% salary reduction, on the heels of musicians' taking a 9.7% pay cut under their new contract. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Leading man: Hugh Dancy will star in the upcoming Broadway production of David Ives' "Venus in Fur." (Broadway World)

Academic drama: Tony Kushner talks about the controversy surrounding his honorary degree from the City University of New York. (Guardian)

Moving forward: A federal bankruptcy judge has approved the Louisville Orchestra's plan to restructure its finances. (Louisville Courier-Journal)

Ensemble cast: Lily Rabe and Hamish Linklater will join Alan Rickman in the Broadway cast of Teresa Rebeck's "Seminar." (Theatermania)

Helping hand: Andrew Lloyd Webber is funding a theater project for disadvantaged youth in Scotland. (Guardian)

New audiences: Classical opera continues to find audiences in China as its popularity declines in the West. (Time)

Religious art: The city of Mumbai, India, is set to get its first museum of Christian art, slated to open next month. (Time of India)

And in the L.A. Times: Music critic Mark Swed on conductor Marin Alsop, who is marking her 20th season heading the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.

-- David Ng

Photo:  Rembrandt's "The Judgment" shown at sheriff's news conference Tuesday morning. Credit: KTLA News