August 9–16, 2001

arts picks|art

Too Much Posse

Eleven years have past since Andre the Giant acquired a posse. It was way back in ’89 that the first grainy, high contrast black and white stickers rolled off a Kinko’s copy machine. Soon Andre stickers and stencils seemed to cover every flat surface in every city in North America. Then the Giant took to the skies, his sleepy-eyed mug shot looming omnipresent, Big Brother-like from billboards and buildings, commanding passersby to OBEY.

But obey what and obey whom? Who exactly is the Andre posse — a subversive underground movement, a group of unemployed ex-wrestlers, a contingent of overzealous Princess Bride fans? By now, many people know that the Andre campaign is the work of 31-year-old graphic designer Shepard Fairey. Started on a whim while in art school, the movement grew out of control, eventually becoming a sort of sociological experiment. By creating an easily recognized iconic image and connecting it with no product or political message, Fairey sparked a lot of interest. Counterculture types latched onto Andre, while conservatives feared that something criminal was under way.

Whatever the audience response, the ubiquitous Andre continues to inspire a search for a meaning where there is none. It reawakens a childlike wonder about our environment and perhaps prods people to think about the advertisements that clutter the urban landscape. Fairey has built on this theme over the years with work that includes many famous political and pop culture icons. His OBEY posters, rendered in a harsh minimalist style that recalls communist propaganda, heighten the Andre effect, lending credence to the theories of a militant radical group. As this guerilla tactic gains attention from the very same corporate marketing machine that it mocks, it has also begun to draw attention from the art world. Now Fairey divides his schedule between gallery shows and designing ads for sports, clothing and entertainment companies. And somehow he still finds time to plaster Andre all over our cities.

—Brett Burton

Shepard Fairey, through Sept. 30, Tin Man Alley, 12 W. Mechanic St., New Hope, 215-862-1110.