Opinion: Surprise! Shepard Fairey doesn’t think Obama is a socialist

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The artist behind the wildly popular ‘Hope’ and ‘Change’ political posters for Barack Obama has now spoken out in reaction to the ‘socialism’ posters seen around Los Angeles.

Shepard Fairey, the L.A.-based street artist initially known for his edgy graphic designs spread illegally upon forgotten billboards and electrical boxes, is back in the news this week, thanks to his newest Obama image which encompasses the cover of the latest (Aug. 20) Rolling Stone magazine.

In an interview with the New York Daily News concerning the cover art, particularly what could be perceived as a halo around the president, Fairey commented on the controversial posters of Obama -- the ones with far less complimentary image of the commander-in-chief in clown makeup mimicking Heath Ledger’s Joker from ‘The Dark Knight.’

‘I think it’s great that someone has the right to express themselves and they took the initiative,’ Shepard said of the anonymous artist, ‘but I don’t agree that Obama’s taking us into a socialist direction. He’s just trying to correct the course.’

Last year, when other artists were borrowing from Fairey’s style to create other political posters condemning then-candidate Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and even John McCain, Fairey was just as understanding. ‘When something becomes pervasive enough, it becomes a reference point that people are going to use for commentary and parody,’ he said. ‘They build their own thing off of it and use it for their own agenda.’

Related:
- Shepard Fairey coverage in our Arts blog, Culture Monster
- A small photo gallery featuring some of the better pieces created by Shepard Fairey
- Shepard Fairey pleads guilty to vandalism, gets two years probation
- An Indian Shepard Fairey for an iconic Barack Obama?

-- Tony Pierce