A biography for Shepard Faireyhasn’t been written yet.
“People romanticize struggle and obscurity, and I get that, but it's a very one-dimensional argument to say that people who have money are evil, and artists who are poor are virtuous.”
“When you walk down the street and see something in a crazy spot, there's something powerful about that. The street will always be an important part of getting art out there for me.”
“When I made my Obey logo, it was 100 percent an homage to Barbara Kruger's work and 0 percent had anything to do with Supreme.”
“I want to be proud of this country, but when aspects of our policy don't align with my ethics, I want to protest them and try to change them.”
“I think 'punk' should really be defined as paving your own way creatively and by defying any sort of orthodoxy or commercial pressure.”
“I'm not going to be intimidated by people or identity politics. I think that's a dead end.”
“I think that art has the ability to capture people's imaginations and make them think that more is possible.”
“On the street, people aren't bashful. They will say if they like something or if they think it sucks.”
“I admire Ai Weiwei for his art and his activism. His art is beautiful in form, and in function embodies the principles of populism and social consciousness I aspire to in my own practice.”
“One of the reasons I started my clothing line was because I went into an Urban Outfitters, and they were bootlegging my star logo on T-shirts.”
“I consider myself a multi-platform artist - not just a street artist - but the audience I found through street art has created many of the opportunities I now have on other platforms.”
“I never set out to be a groundbreaking artist in the sense of doing something that's never been done before. I set out to make stuff that communicated quickly and effectively, playing off of advertising, pop art, and pop culture.”
“I was a huge Operation Ivy fan.”
“The way I make art - the way a lot of people make art - is as an extension of language and communication, where references are incredibly important.”
“Most campaigns rely on photographs because the moment you do something that is a graphic interpretation where any artistic license has been taken, I think a lot of people are scared that it's going to be perceived as propaganda.”
“When I think about how I want to reach an audience, I just wanted to make pieces that were inspired by something that gave me so much pleasure.”
“The argument that most lawmakers make about graffiti is that it's illegal because it's an eyesore, but you could easily argue that a lot of advertising is an eyesore.”