CHE’S AFTERLIFE
The Legacy of an Image
By Michael Casey
Illustrated. 388 pages. Vintage Books. $15.95.
…CHE’S AFTERLIFE
The Legacy of an Image
By Michael Casey
Illustrated. 388 pages. Vintage Books. $15.95.
…I'm catching this conversation late; the initial discussion about fair use began in December 2007. Where the hell was I? Well, Fairey had yet to make any ripples with the Obama HOPE piece, so I had no reason to throw this into the Legal Dept. Now that Fairey and AP are battling out the legalities of "fair use" (I use quotations because codifying things can always be a bit sticky), Phantom Street Artist has also thrown his hat in the ring on this, bringing another angle to the onging narrative of re-use, street art, advertising, capitalism, etc.
I admit that I miss things here and there. I'm not online enough!
I'm trying to keep my opinions to myself. Blame it on my journalistic integrity. I can say a few things: I'm glad that people are bringing up these issues, though Fairey has been re-using images and icons for years. I've never compared and contrasted the original radical/political art side-by-side with Fairey's work until now, and am a bit disappointed at…
Read moreMy lawyers filed my response to The AP's claims against me on Tuesday. It includes a dozen examples of AP photographs that consist almost entirely of copyrighted artwork from me and other artists. Today, The AP issued a statement accusing me of "making attacks" on them…
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Five years ago, Gideon Kramer was thrilled to be appointed to San Francisco's graffiti advisory board.
"I really thought I could make a difference," the graphic designer and 30-year city resident said Friday.
Three years into it, he resigned in disgust. He said he'd rather spend his time volunteering to help landscape local schools, as he does now. It wasn't just that graffiti was popping up faster than it could be painted over - it was that people had given up.
"People would say, 'Why do you bother? It's just going to be back tomorrow,' " he said.
San Francisco doesn't have a graffiti problem. It has a commitment problem. It isn't enough to get a few residents riled up about neighborhood taggers, or to get the police and district attorney's office…
Read moreThursday, March 19, 2009
Like the city of San Francisco, North Beach resident Micki Jones is fighting a losing battle against graffiti.
"I paint it over and it is usually tagged again in 48 hours," said Jones, who covers up graffiti on her home and other buildings on her block. "It used to be weeks, but now those guys are out there every night."
When it comes to symbolic statements about a city, nothing speaks louder than the painted scrawls on walls. They say a neighborhood is either unwilling, or unable, to stop vandalism. Graffiti infuriates homeowners, degrades streets and undercuts civil pride.
And yet it happens over and over in San Francisco and has for years. How is that possible? The answers range from the economic downturn (less enforcement), to a lack of…
Read moreThe nonprofit news cooperative filed suit against Shepard Fairey on Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan. Fairey's spokesman and lawyers had no immediate response.
Fairey sued the AP last month over his "Obama Hope" and "Obama Progress" posters, based on a 2006 picture taken for the news cooperative. He says he didn't…
Read moreObama Poster Artist Shepard Fairey Expects New Charges In Boston
RUSSELL CONTRERAS | March 10, 2009 06:03 PM EST |
BOSTON — The street artist who created the famous "Hope" poster of President Barack Obama expects to face new vandalism charges relating to the red, white and blue image, but his lawyer said Tuesday that the accusations would cover a period of time when the artist wasn't even in Boston.
The artist, Shepard Fairey, and prosecutors went before a clerk magistrate in Brighton District Court on Tuesday. The hearing was closed to the public, but Fairey's attorney, Jeffrey Wiesner,…
Friday, February 13, 2009
Read more
JAY LINDSAY | February 7, 2009 08:30 PM EST |
BOSTON — A street artist famous for his red, white and blue "Hope" posters of President Obama has been arrested on warrants accusing him of tagging property with graffiti, police said Saturday.
Shepard Fairey was arrested Friday night on his way to the Institute of Contemporary Art for a kickoff event for his first solo exhibition, called "Supply and Demand."
Two warrants were issued for Fairey on Jan. 24 after police determined he'd tagged property in two locations with graffiti based on the Andre the Giant street…
Read moreMysterious figure's work was featured throughout the city's subway system