Obama in the Buff
Street artist Shepard Fairey was in New York last week and hit the streets, pasting up an Obama poster on the corner of Houston and Bowery, among other spots. Unfortunately, he sacrilegiously pasted right over the work of graffiti writer MARTY, who has been holding down that corner for years. We expected he would take it back, but were surprised he’d do it in broad daylight. Razor Apple reader, Vincent Ng from the LES, caught some photos as MARTY of Smart Crew painted a fill-in over the Obama poster on Saturday afternoon, cleverly using orange paint to match the new Keith Haring mural next to it. Reached for comment by email, Shepard was apologetic for pasting over MARTY, saying, “I don’t like to go over people ever, however, I feel Obama being elected is very important to everyone’s future including MARTY’s. It was not intended to be disrespectful of him, but if he chooses to be that small minded and petty about it I can’t control that. I certainly would expect him to justly re-claim the spot after the election.”
Oddly enough, just a few hours after MARTY finished painting, a trio of Obama-loving graffiti-haters was cleaning off the poster that they mistakenly believed was legal. Who was this pro-Obama buff squad? Shepard doesn’t know, but guesses that, “people [just] feel strongly about Obama.” Obama is certainly hoping people feel strongly in support during the West Virginia primary today.
Below are some photos of MARTY in action, and the the pro-Obama buff squad at work.
All photos taken by Vincent Ng from the LES.
Must be Shepards bad eyes…
I’m sure he’ll be back.
By Uneek One on May 13th, 2008 at 12:30 pmVOTE MARTY 2008
Which college democrats club sent some freshmen over to clean this up? NYU, Cooper or New School?
By trevor on May 13th, 2008 at 12:35 pmI find it funny how Giant’s career started off “exposing” propaganda… Where now, he has come around full circle and seems to be part of the problem… (Don’t get me wrong, I’m still for Obama!)…
Also, to the guys who are die hard Obama supporters cleaning the poster… Did you really think that by having his picture up on a street corner, it will help him win an election?
By Donnie C. Ving on May 13th, 2008 at 12:40 pmI hope someone spray paints his house and car.
By James on May 13th, 2008 at 12:51 pmisnt that marty in the orange shirt
By bill clinton on May 13th, 2008 at 1:39 pmMr. Fairy needs to get back to his roots. It seems like his non-street projects have clouded his street art ethics.
Have you seen his Studio One fortress? There are enough cameras to even make Banksy nervous!
By carlsbadcrawl.com on May 13th, 2008 at 1:55 pmFunny how Google Adsense is displaying a “John McCain for President” ad just above the comments on this page (at least for me right now).
By trevor on May 13th, 2008 at 1:56 pmThis will surely tip the polls in Obama’s favor! Thanks NY!
By Nick on May 13th, 2008 at 3:10 pmshows the small mindedness and short sightedness of marty. if you’re so petty that you can’t live without “your” corner for a few days you’re never going to go anywhere and will always stay in the streets.
By metropolitan on May 13th, 2008 at 4:53 pmand let’s be honest here, marty’s work is totally generic and derivative while farey has advanced to be an amazing graphic artist with influence well beyond a favorite street corner.
stay small marty!
Wacky. Wickedy wacky.
By david on May 13th, 2008 at 4:53 pmmetropolitan, do you realize you’re trying to apply rational thought to stupid beef between a graffiti writer and a corporate street artist? Shepard shouldn’t have gone over Marty in the first place.
also, are you saying that Shepard’s work isn’t derivative? He’s ripped most of his ideas from other artists and designers. You may think Marty’s work is generic, but at least he didn’t literally steal it from a book.
By Nick on May 13th, 2008 at 5:02 pmyou’re right, it’s not my beef, i’ll stay out of it.
By metropolitan on May 13th, 2008 at 5:08 pmit’s just sometimes exasperating how easily people get all righteous and feel disrespected even when there’s a higher purpose or bigger goals involved.
you gotta think of the big picture if you’re ever going to break out of the routine and small minded.
peace.
i think everyone is taking this way too serious… he was probably just taking his spot back… big deal… this happens everyday in graffiti … does that poster really mean that much? does his graffiti really mean that much? as long as they both enjoy doing it, let them do their thing…
the real losers are the ones who went out of their way to clean it… haha… very lame..
By king cobra on May 13th, 2008 at 5:18 pmno, i see your point. i just think marty is playing the graffiti game (taking back his spot), that’s all. it’s not as political as we’re making it.
By Nick on May 13th, 2008 at 5:18 pmhaving told marty about getting gone over.. i figured it wouldnt hurt either of them if he took back his spot.. Actually I thought that whatever controversy that might develop because him taking back the spot would work in the favor of both parties.. just stirring the pot.. a poster isnt going to save a campaign..
By truth on May 13th, 2008 at 5:27 pmWE HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD WE VOTIN AND THOWIN IT UUUUUUUUUUP!
By motivatedbyhate on May 13th, 2008 at 5:32 pmHow come Fairey still gets props and coverage after he gets blown up by real artists? Do people not know the deal by now? Enough already with this douche. Fairey is nothing more than a lame who bites others work. Any of you hear/see/read him rep the original artists? Ever?!
You call it…
http://www.art-for-a-change.com/Obey/index.htm
By Errrrrr on May 13th, 2008 at 5:53 pmIf Cope2 or Ket were promoting Obama would there be the same reaction?
By 2000hate on May 13th, 2008 at 8:29 pmif Marty had written “Vote Obama” inside his throw-up, then it would have been all good right?
By word... on May 13th, 2008 at 8:38 pmAny dog can p^ss on a wall and believe it’s his.
Maybe Marty should have counted to ten and thought about it.
Or maybe he’s for McCain?
By madmonkey on May 13th, 2008 at 9:59 pm“but if he chooses to be that small minded and petty about it I can’t control that.”
it’s hilarious that he is so self righteous about the whole thing…
By johnforz on May 14th, 2008 at 10:57 amhttp://forum.thegiant.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11009&p=147277#p147277
By elixir on May 14th, 2008 at 12:06 pmShep is going blind! People should recognize the amount of work he’s put in over the years and let his shit run. Not to mention he has a claim on that spot just as much as Marty does. That Obey roller was put up years ago. And Shep’s piece is topical so it has more significance now than a standard Marty fill.
By Anonymous on May 14th, 2008 at 1:34 pmThat older Obey poster is much higher.
If Fairey had gone above, instead of over, Marty, it would be more visible from across Houston, and there wouldn’t be this whole foo-fah-rah.
And it’s already been said, but “Metropolitan”, if you are calling Marty derivative and implying that Shepard Fairey’s work is not…..you are a silly person.
By Sherman on May 14th, 2008 at 2:47 pmthis is lame.. graffiti is temporary.. Obey went over Marty, Marty took his spot back - end of story.. doesn’t matter what’s “topical”, what’s prettier, what’s “more relevant”. its graffiti.. plain and simple.
instead of “giving statements” about the issue, Shep could simply, take the spot back.. no need for holier than thou commentary - I really don’t think his Obama posters are making that much of an impact on peoples decisions, come on.
By johnforz on May 14th, 2008 at 3:18 pmErrrrrr says: “Any of you hear/see/read him rep the original artists? Ever?!”
Shepard says: All-time Favorite Poster / Art Print that Someone Else Did: “The Jon Van Hammersveld Hendrix print. It was one of the first posters I bit for an Obey Giant parody in ‘93.”
http://omgposters.com/2008/05/13/ten-questions-with-shepard-fairey/
Oh, and…
By madmonkey on May 14th, 2008 at 3:24 pmI think there is a substantial difference between voluntarily offering credit to an artist whose work has been “referenced” and answering the question “What is your favorite poster by someone else?”
By Sherman on May 14th, 2008 at 3:30 pmI think that herb ass art fags should debate about something they know about and graf writers will keep doing what they do best….
leave it alone, it’s not that deep.
By paulie on May 14th, 2008 at 4:21 pmwhat he said
By word on the street on May 14th, 2008 at 9:12 pmobey just got lazy and took an easy spot
but what do you really expect
he is just trying to keep what little fame he has left
Bombers not obama
Obama hates graffiti
why would you go out and bomb for a patsy uncle tom?
that fool is taking a dive so mc cain can get his third world rape on
Obey has more in common than with bush than Obama
knee jerk liberal waste of space and paint
By dachiworld.com on May 15th, 2008 at 12:23 amnext thing u know the media will be playing that marty is anti barack and a communist cuz he did what he did…shepard respected the fact that he took his spot back…these nyu nerds need to get laid instead of worrying if the lower east side might not recognize that obama is running for president…more controversy, more hype, more action…the best thing done for baracks campaign was shepard backing him and marty claiming his spot…love that marty went the keith haring color route and dropped broad daylight…smart move…guess which street corner in nyc is officially “hot”…
Saezeroni and cheese…
By saezones for the rep on May 15th, 2008 at 11:19 amMarty is SMART enough to know that the devils who own this country would not let a black man on the ticket unless he was already payed for!!!!!
vote Ron Paul and Marty if you think your vote wont get spoiled…..
By MALORKUS on May 17th, 2008 at 9:50 amI think that y’all are missing the picture of the wall after it was painted white by someone else.
By Silentobserver on May 18th, 2008 at 6:06 pmIt’s really not that serious… But, thank you for the support.
In the end, WE WIN because we have fat cap vending machines now. It is pretty much impossible to beat that…
http://blog.smart-crew.com/2008/05/19/need-a-fat-cap–got-a-quarter.aspx
OBAMA 08 x SMART
By SMART CREW on May 19th, 2008 at 10:23 amanybody alluding to fairey’s art as “corporate” and therefore not worthy to hold a corner spot over someone else is straight stupid. First of all he’s not even hyping himself, he’s doing something a lot more significant than some bitter sorry writer trying to hold down “A corner.” Second he’s using that skill and notoriety to promote something completely selfless, and more for in my opinion the better of this country, as much as its fuucht and some might think it doesnt matter. But thats the point…because in the first time in a LONG time there a chance for hope. (He’s not making a dime off it…all going to producing more art for that movement). He’s also been holding it down for a long time and even as he produces commercially, still gets up hard. When somebody pays their dues, I find it hard for someone complaining about a “corner” or sympathizing with that to say sh*t, cuz they have no place. Who’s gonna knock on MSK / AWR for making money on the 7th LETTER, cuz they get up harder and could burn anybody. Or mike Giant for collecting off Rebel 8. they’re all sick. I could go on and on. I’d put up Obama over my sh*t anyday cuz as for long as you can get up a name and hold it down, the elections are over before the end of this year anyway. And it doesn’t matter how long I or anyone else has been getting up, the quality of your content, or the clout. if you’re apathetic or ignorant you might as well live in a trailer out in the country with your cousin. And with the Ron Paul reference, I think that would have been great, BUT i guess a lot of people arent too realistic either. It takes more than will and good intentions to stand out and make a difference. I would laugh if i happen to see someone desperately salvage what they claimed their little spot, especially in the daylight for the attention? wtf
By fatal vatican on June 13th, 2008 at 4:33 pmMARTY didnt do nething wrong . thas his spot and has been for a while . you guys are faggots saying this is petty cuz u dont live the life of a graffiti artist or have the same mentality as a true 1 . shit obey got books on him , his own clothing line , all this and fame . let MARTY HAVE THE STREETS !! obama can still win if his face aint on the corna !!
By SMURFOLOVESALLYCAT on June 28th, 2008 at 2:06 pmSMART CREW WINS.
that nigga obama wouldnt support a graff writer on shit..
fat cap vending machine = SMART move
By SYNICAL on July 15th, 2008 at 5:48 pmthe individuals involved here are not the issue. the real issue is what happens whenever art and politics become entangled. in every case throughout the history of mankind whenever art has been appropriated to further a political cause art has always suffered and died. the reason is simple.
art is about truth, freedom of expression and creating beauty that benefits all mankind. politics is about lies, suppression of freedoms and maintaining the status quo which benefits the elite at the expensive of all others. shepard was a hero to me. now that he has co-opted his art to become a propagandist for the american political system in support of the status quo my hero has become a zero.
By ill_threadz on August 2nd, 2008 at 7:41 amsorry for the typo (”expensive” rather than “expense) in the second paragraph, second sentence. hopefully it makes sense in the context of the sentence.
By ill_threadz on August 2nd, 2008 at 7:45 amFUCK OBAMA. SNAKE IN SHEEPS CLOTHING.
By truth on August 5th, 2008 at 9:00 amGo get em Marty. There are rules to this shit.
By Alone One. OD.UW. on September 12th, 2008 at 6:52 pma response to mark vallens claims:
By truth rules on February 28th, 2009 at 9:07 pmhttp://www.supertouchart.com/2009/02/02/editorial-the-medium-is-the-message-shepard-fairey-and-the-art-of-appropriation/
Thank you for keeping everyone informed.
By David on April 16th, 2009 at 11:25 pm