M A Y D A Y . (distress signals at Deitch)

 (128) 04.29.2010 

Love or hate the propaganda pop of Shepard Fairey, he definitely fuels an opinion. I remember shuffling into the unbearably warm and crowded Mary Karnowsky gallery back in 2006 to survey the hype, and the artist has become a number of different things since then. Personally I feel a heavy fatigue in regards to the black and red Obey Giant campagins, from magazines to T-shirts and album art and more. Nonetheless, the reach of his controversial Obama 'HOPE' print was undeniable, and it does make me think about the paradoxes of art and commerce, fame, selling out vs. embracing success and the ownership of images vs. artistic intent. Thinking about witnessing the spectacle/closing show at Deitch Projects this Saturday, bracing for the masses.