Art Encounters Life
Obamadorational artist … last seen being dunned by the AP for ripping off the Obamist news agency’s Obaminspirational shot … arrested in Boston for illegal tagging. That would be plastering his artwork all over other people’s property without authority. Boston Herald:
The graffiti artist who rocketed to fame with an iconic portrait of President Obama was released yesterday after spending a night in jail when he ran afoul of Hub cops unimpressed by his media blitz.
Frank Shepard Fairey, 38, of Los Angeles was arrested Friday night for tagging a Massachusetts Turnpike building, police said.
“Given his popularity, the suspect, prior to his exhibit, was interviewed by various media outlets in Boston and on a nationwide scale,” a police report states. “In several of these interviews, suspect spoke openly about illegally tagging. Suspect further acknowledged or admitted to recent tagging in Boston.”
Cops said they tracked down Fairey’s signature tag - a portrait of famed wrestler Andre the Giant over the word “Obey” - at several places throughout the city, including on a Massachusetts Turnpike utility building.
After his arrest, police discovered Fairey had a default warrant dating back to September 2000 for failing to appear in court on a tagging charge in Brighton.
He was released on $1,500 cash bail yesterday morning, police said. He is due to appear in Brighton District Court tomorrow morning, said Suffolk District Attorney’s Office spokesman Jake Wark. He faces an additional tagging charge in Roxbury for the Pike graffiti, police said.
Fairey - whose show, “Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand,” began Friday at the Institute of Contemporary Art - has stoked his countercultural image while making the media rounds, noting he has been arrested more than a dozen times. He was picked up by Boston police about 9:15 p.m. while walking into an event he was supposed to DJ at the ICA, cops said.
It’s a different theme for the ironically preachy Fairey: Social responsibility. So … does he show this time? I’m guessing yes, because it’s a great publicity opportunity that comes at a very important time in Mr. Fairey’s career. When he is making scads of dough, becoming mainstream, and could use some street-cred notoriety. Though that could also be a motivation for not Obeying, I suppose.
Globie, channeling comments of rage, appears to be suggesting that Boston cops are just jealous of Fairey’s artistic success. Geoff Edgers clearly gets the frustrated, embittered wannabe artiste that is the BPD. Also, plastering posters and stickers all over other people’s property is not vandalism.
Previously, in Shepard Fairey news.
Topics: Obama, art, law & order
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 7:36 am on Sunday, February 8, 2009
3 Responses to “Art Encounters Life”
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February 8th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
A man who is still, at the age of 38, tagging buildings like a teenager, is a boy who will never grow up. There are some who think that’s an admirable thing. I’m not one of them.
February 8th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Karma, baby. Karma.
What would be nice is if all the property owners who got tagged by this hoodlum would sue his pants off in court for the costs of cleaning up his trash, plus punitive damages to discourage hum from doing this again.
Either that, or consider requiring him to wear clothing containing ads for the businesses he vandalized. THAT would be neat. See how HE likes being tagged without permission. Heh.
February 8th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
I know how to use Photoshop and can spell, too. Does that make me an artist or do I have to attach my images to my neighbors’ walls first?