This week I had the good fortune to be able to visit the Shepard Fairey exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art while on a business trip to Boston. I really didn’t know what to expect…everyone just told me that he was the guy who did the Obama HOPE poster and that’s about it. And I’ve been enthusing to anyone who will listen ever since. If I had to summarize I’d say he’s about—well here’s what I wrote to my 20-something niece and nephew:

“It was really good…in a dissident, skeptical kind of way. When I was young (cough…your age…cough) there was a slogan ‘Question Authority.’ Fairey takes it a step further and says ‘Question Everything’ especially propaganda, makes you aware of how propagandized we are, always.”

What I really liked about the experience of seeing the exhibit were the layers of communication that smacked you in the brain. First the overall impact of the image, most of them iconic in some way, then noticing the layers of material and colors, then getting close enough to read the fine print, and then realizing there was even some subliminal stuff behind it. I just loved it.

The exhibit was full of slogan-size messages that have stuck with me. Here are a few that hopefully won’t be spoilers, but rather teasers that will encourage you to look for them scavenger-hunt style (please excuse misquotes due to imperfect memory):

“Freedom of the press for those who own one.”
“More milliterry, less skools.”
…and finally “Encouraging dissent since 1989.” I liked that one because I looked at the date and thought, “oh, so new” and then did the subtraction and realized he’s been at it for 20 years.

If any of you make it there, I would love to hear your thoughts on the placement of the Obama HOPE poster in the exhibit (i.e., what did you think of exactly where it was placed in the exhibit).

There’s a lot of information about Fairey and his bio available starting at the ICA link, so I won’t repeat…and wouldn’t want to deprive you of the joy of discovery in any case.

As usual I didn’t buy the book because I didn’t want to schlep it all the way home, but now I’m kicking myself. It will be in Boston till August, so if you are anywhere near and have time, I’d strongly recommend it.