INTERVIEW – Shepard Fairey, the American street artist, author of a lithograph of Marianne diverted by Jordan Bardella in two videos, is exhibiting his new works in Paris until July 26.
In the 13the arrondissement, a stone’s throw from Paris Cité University, around thirty fans – some of whom are wearing t-shirts from its Obey brand – are waiting in front of the Galerie Itinerrance. Obey, 54, whose real name is Shepard Fairey, is an internationally renowned street artist and the creator of Hopethis tricolor portrait of Barack Obama created during his 2008 presidential campaign. Thursday, he was present for the opening of his free exhibition at the Galerie Itinerrance: Swan Song (The Swan Song), which lasts until July 26, 2024.
In around fifty new works, combining painting with mono-engraving and prints, Obey alerts his audience to the current crises in our world, which, according to him, risks collapsing if nothing is done. to preserve it. “The swan song is the last melody of a dying swan or, metaphorically, of a dying society, of a dying idea, of a dying planet. Don’t let this song be the end”, he explains. Happy to return to France, a country he «adore»the artist says he detected among the French “an excellent balance between the appreciation of creativity, beauty, a pleasant lifestyle, but also a good debate”.
Elie Pillet
On Monday June 17, a reproduction of one of his works appeared for the second time in the background of a Jordan Bardella campaign clip. There Marianne d’Obey, flanked by the republican motto “liberty, equality, fraternity”, was made in homage to the victims of the attacks of November 13, 2015. Its owner, the theater producer Jean-Marc Dumontet, had lent it to Emmanuel Macron who had made it a symbol of his five-year term. The lithograph then adorned the corner office of the Élysée and served as a backdrop for the first filmed speeches by the President of the Republic. But the appropriation of this Marianne blue-white-red by the National Rally made the street artist react.
If he does not intend to take legal action against Jordan Bardella, “because he doesn’t deserve it”Obey is no less outraged by this diversion. “But what nerve! Taking an image that spoke of peace and compassion after the terrorist attack (of November 13, 2015), arming yourself with the French slogan “liberty, equality, fraternity”… People on the right do not have these values. he asserts. Before adding: “In an ideal world, all politicians would agree with the values of democracy.”
Bardella pires than Trump
Shepard Fairey, who supports Joe Biden despite his “unconvincing communication”, do not think any less of the head of the list of the American right, Donald Trump, on the verge of becoming “a dictator” according to him. Even if the artist, originally from the «punk rock» et «skateboard»refuses to believe that Trump would go so far as to hijack one of his creations.
Obey considers that “stupid politicians exist because the public allows them to exist”and wish “transmit ideas that encourage reflection on current issues”. The street artist hopes that the legislative elections will be, for France, “a wake-up call.” According to him, the French should “wake” and go «voter» : “Try to preserve what you value about democracy and the good side of the French way of life. There is no perfect society. France has its problems, like everywhere else. But turning right is not the solution.”
This artisan of “dissidence”, as described in the manifesto published on its site, sought to highlight, through its compositions, the impact of man on the environment, inequalities, violence against women and children, as well as the implementation danger of democracy. “My biggest fear is the threat to democracyObey explains to us. When we look at politics in the United Kingdom, in Greece, in Italy, in France, and a little in Germany too, we see that things are moving towards the right, which is closer and closer to submission to fascism. »
Elie Pillet
In his exhibition, his paintings appropriate the codes of propaganda posters – inspired by Russian constructivism – to subvert them. One of the works shows a terrestrial globe on which a woman’s flaming tear flows. Another, composed of red, yellow and blue, places a flower – symbol of peace – in the barrel of a gun – symbol of war. Obey also exhibits kinds of colorful mandalas with a lotus flower at the center. In the third room, reserved for smaller rooms, a painting displays a bottle of Coca-Cola, except that the name of the brand has been replaced by the words «Crude Oil» (unrefined oil). Thus, most of the paintings bear slogans which reflect the values defended by Shepard Fairey, such as “environmental justice”, “the future is equal” or “peace and freedom”.