Shoplifting in a Ghost Town

“I have a fairly complex response to Fairey’s work. I fully respect the amount of work he has spent getting his stickers, posters, and stencils up around the world, he really never seems to stop working and getting up. I also originally liked the “obey giant” campaign for what it claimed to be, an exercise in semiotics and a solid attempt to make transparent the process of how branding and advertising works. By creating a brand that advertised nothing but itself, and one that had no meaning or connection to anything but itself, Fairey was able to expose how advertisers use their trade to create a buzz and demand for a product, irregardless of what the product is, its quality, utility, or anything else. Unfortunately Fairey has quickly turned his experiment in the marketing of nothing into a comfortable and slickly designed advertising campaign for his “giant” skateboards, t-shirts, hats, posters, and for Fairey himself as a designer, illustrator, and arbitrator of hip and cool. This totally undermines any power in his original project, and at this point most of Fairey’s work is about as interesting as an ad for Preparation H (or Levi’s or whoever he’s working for these days).“

Political Wisconsinite artist Nicolas Lampert

I like Lamperts point of view.

I like Lamperts art.

He makes some message deriving, well composed collages.

I think it was all of his Meatscapes, that sold me. I may like Nicolas Lamper, but I love a honey glazed ham hill.