Born in Charleston in 1970 and now living in Los Angeles, SHEPARD FAIREY aka OBEY is one of the most influential American street artists of the movement. Early in the 1980s, when he was just 14, he quickly developed a passion for graphic art and punk culture. Then in 1989, he launched the “André the Giant Has a Posse” campaign with friends from the Rhode Island School of Design, inspired by the wrestler André Roussimoff. This project, initially experimental, became a global phenomenon when he extended it worldwide by signing Obey Giant, marking his entry into the global Urban Art scene.

Since then, his work has focused on reproducing images and sharing them in urban spaces. He uses visual codes borrowed from political propaganda or advertising to develop a distinctive graphic style with stylized lines. He hijacks photographs and old posters, making them his own through his graphic treatment and changing their meaning. His unique style blends stencils, silkscreens and posters to spread his committed messages. Then in 2008, he lent his support to Barack Obama by creating the famous portrait of him with the slogan “HOPE”, an image that became a symbol of the American presidential election and literally propelled his career at an international level.

The art of Shepard Fairey (OBEY) denounces the excesses of power, consumerism and social injustice. His creations, influenced by Soviet posters and Constructivism, most often play with a reduced color palette of red, black, beige and blue. His work is unmistakable, with powerful slogans and striking visuals. For the past 25 years, the artist Shepard Fairey has also been advocating for ecology and against the consequences of global warming. Concerned for future generations, he hopes that the message communicated in his works will help raise public awareness of the crisis facing our planet nowadays.

Shepard Fairey has created more than 60 murals around the world and his influence extends beyond urban spaces. His work has been exhibited in international museums such as San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art and London's Victoria & Albert Museum. He has also collaborated with brands and NGOs, spreading his art through various media. Each of his creations is thought-provoking, prompting viewers to question their surroundings.