Street Art That Makes You Think Twice

Shepard Fairey is an American artist known for his artworks mocking propaganda posters. In his work there are often hidden messages or visual contradictions that the viewer may not notice due to the appeal of the image and idealistic slogan. In the image above, for ex., upon first glance one is impressed by the pleasant, peaceful face of the woman and the phrase "MAKE ART, NOT WAR". However, upon a closer look, one notices that the words are highlighted in such a way as to also read "MAKE WAR, NOT ART". The Andre the Giant face in the star is a comedic mascot Fairey uses to tag his "OBEY" series of such related works.

Here is what Fairey has to say about his philosophy, the philosophy behind this mascot as a sticker he placed alone on street signs, lampposts, etc., and the philosophy of the art it accompanies, such as the poster above:

The OBEY sticker campaign can be explained as an experiment in Phenomenology. Heidegger describes Phenomenology as "the process of letting things manifest themselves. Phenomenology attempts to enable people to see clearly something that is right before their eyes but obscured; things that are so taken for granted that they are muted by abstract observation."