Just swiftly placarding the World - The Obey Giant Campaign
Imagine if there were posters or stickers, and as an exception they simply advertise for nothing. Nothing at all. Stickers with no sense at streetlights and skateboards, which are yet to be found worldwide. This exactly applies to the Obey Giant campaign that is anything but mindless. About the American Shepard Fairey, who wants to dominate the world with his own unique stickers:
I glue, therefore I am: Street Art to join in for everyone
They seem to be everywhere. These very specific placards, stickers, posters and stencil images with simple motifs and dynamic lettering. Certain series such as the Peace series remember a little bit to the propaganda of the former Soviet Union: Reduced colours and matching typography, classic shapes. The dot on the i: The representation of people in a hedonistic manner. Perhaps the most striking motif: The figure Andre the Giant, after the image of the professional wrestler André René Roussimoff. Since 1989, the American artist Shepard Fairey has been committing hisself to this specific street art form. His goal: To dominate the world with just these stickers. And he wants to get supported explicitly. This way everyone can make her or his own Obey Giant sticker based on free templates that are available on the website.
The thing about the meaning and the search for it
Opposed to other conventional visual forms of marketing Obey Giant does not advertise products. And yet, they do not just exist because of him. They may try to stimulate the curiosity of the recipients. The search for meaning is the real meaning of their existence, Fairey hopes. Expressly requested: To question the colourful small stickers at the stake of the streetlight.
"The medium is the message"
So the sticker would therefore be completely meaningless in itself, if we would not even question its existence as viewers of this art and give them a sense – just through in doing so. Or wanting to express it in the words of media theorist Marshall McLuhan: “The medium is the message.” And could there be a better medium than the street with its holistic and wide freedom of speech?
From the street lamp on the body
Let´s now search for traces in terms of influences. It was said that mainly skateboarding and punk music influenced Fairey most. For him, music here has a much stronger emotional impact than, for example, visual arts: “I´ve never been to an art show and felt like the art had a hold over every person in the room, much less looked over my shoulder to see 50.000 lighters held up in a show of solidary for Ozzy´s cause [...] Art shows don't seem to elicit that level of enthusiasm.” By the way: Thanks to the licensed label Obey Giant Clothing with jumpers, trousers and Co. one can become an Obey Giant artwork oneself. An important step towards world domination, isn´t it?
