Shepard Fairey

What is art? Can anyone define it? In the dictionary the definition states that art is "the products of human creativity." However, in society works have art have been criticized and torn apart for thousands of years. In history artists such as Picasso or Andy Warhol, have always had huge obstacles while trying to share their work. In the modern world there is so much conflict that any art that sparks opposition is usually taken down or shown in a negative spotlight. One artist who knows about the tyrannical power on the government is Shepard Fairey who was recently arrested in Boston on vandalism charges. Upon receiving this news, one may ask 'when did art begin to have boundaries?'

That question is nearly impossible to answer because for centuries artists have been arrested, beaten, bribed, or even killed to silence their creativity. Shepard Fairey already has 14 arrests under his belt for releasing his artistic flow and sadly he recently picked up his 15th. Fairey is one of the most admired and celebrated street artists in the world, who jumped to fame when his stencil of Andre the Giant surfaced. The 'Obey Giant' campaign produced stickers, shirts, pencils, and photos which were plastered across the world on buildings, signs, buses, trains, and countless other surfaces.

Almost twenty years after the 'Obey Giant' campaign, Fairey created another inspirational masterpiece. The familiar poster is a portrait stencil of a pensive looking Barrack Obama with the words HOPE stretched across the bottom of the picture. The "Obama poster" experience huge success and distributed thousands of shirts, posters, plates, and other memorabilia. Fairey's poster was THE poster of the 2008 Presidential Campaign. In fact, this poster was so huge that Barrack Obama himself wrote Fairey a letter expressing gratitude for his art. So now, many may wonder why this inspirational artist was arrested.

His arrest surprised many, even Fairey himself who was taken into custody on his way into his new exhibit in the Institute of Contemporary Art. The famed street artist has painted several buildings around Boston, making his art a usual spectacle in the city. Although, his murals have been widely admired especially those of Barrack Obama, Boston officials did not take his art lightly. His arrest stains the recent success Fairey has achieved and creates another example of the downfall of art in modern society. If the government uses its power to diminish art, then what will the world have left? If painting a picture of inspiration and hope warrants an arrest, then what is next?