The original denim company sponsors retrospective of Shepard Fairey, including the now iconic Barack Obama campaign poster
Shepard Fairey and the Levi's(R) Brand to co-design a special, limited-edition Levi's(R) piece to commemorate exhibit
BOSTON, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Shepard Fairey, one of the most influential and iconic street artists of our time, will be featured in a museum survey at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, in collaboration with the original denim company, Levi Strauss & Co. ("Levi's(R)"), on February 6, 2009. This exhibition marks the 20th anniversary of Shepard Fairey's groundbreaking Obey Giant campaign and the retrospective, the first major exhibition of the artist's work, signifies the breadth of Fairey's incredibly meaningful career. Based on their longstanding supportive relationship with Fairey, the Levi's(R) brand is proud to sponsor this landmark exhibition, which features the instantly recognizable and often imitated Barack Obama presidential campaign poster. Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand will feature about 200 works, ranging from Fairey's renowned Obey Giant stencil to screen prints of political revolutionaries and rock stars, to recent mixed-media works and a new mural commissioned for the ICA show.
A natural partner for this legendary exhibition, Levi's(R) has stood behind Fairey's career since before his explosion on the art scene. The Levi's(R) brand sponsored one of Fairey's first shows, Authentik, which was held in 2002 at the Levi's(R) Vortex Gallery in Levi's(R) San Francisco flagship store. Fairey's take on what constitutes art and his unique view of the world instantly caught the eye of many at Levi's(R), and the company continues to express their support and pride in the vast success of his career. Fairey's career has spanned multiple aesthetics and been shaped by diverse influences ranging from Soviet propaganda, psychedelic rock posters, images of Americana and the layering and weathering of street art.
"Levi's(R) collaboration with Shepard Fairey is the perfect fit. As original as Levi's(R) jeans, Fairey is a groundbreaking innovator who has fast become a cultural icon," said Robert Cameron, vice president of marketing for the Levi's(R) brand. Added Jill Medvedow, the Director of the ICA/Boston, "Shepard Fairey's powerful and varied body of work has reached into all aspects of our visual culture, from political posters to T-shirts and album covers, and now museum installations. His integration of design, popular culture and politics, places him in the current of artistic and cultural forces that shape our world today."
Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand will feature pieces in a wide variety of media including screen prints, stencils, stickers, rubylith illustrations, collages, and works on wood, metal, and canvas. To further commemorate Fairey's first-ever, career-spanning ICA retrospective, Fairey will be collaborating with Levi's(R) on a limited edition piece that will be unveiled on May 1, also known as "501(R) Day."
Fairey's audience is seduced by the striking and imaginative imagery he creates to express his viewpoint on social issues that are important to him. Explaining his driving motivation, Fairey simply says: "The real message behind most of my work is 'question everything'."
The Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand exhibition will run from February 6, 2009 to August 16, 2009 at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Located at 100 Northern Avenue, the ICA/Boston is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 am - 5 pm; Thursday and Friday, 10 am - 9 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm. Admission is $12 adults, $10 seniors and students, and free for members and children 17 and under. Free admission on Target Free Thursday Nights, 5-9 pm.
About Levi Strauss & Co.
One hundred and fifty years ago, a San Francisco man by the name of Levi Strauss created a pair of trousers designed to endure the harsh conditions of the California gold mines. The quality and comfort of Levi's jeans, however, has far outlasted the gold. Levi's(R) is the authentic, original denim brand that defines the jeans category. Levi's(R) is the only brand that can provide authentic, vintage detailing based on more than a 150 years of rich denim history. Levi's(R) has the best range of fits in the market which includes the 501(R), authentic, original blue jean, which comes in pre-shrunk and Shrink-To-Fit(R).
About the ICA
An influential forum for multi-disciplinary arts, The Institute of Contemporary Art has been at the leading edge of art in Boston for seventy years. Like its iconic building on Boston's waterfront, the ICA offers new ways of engaging with the world around us. Its exhibitions and programs provide access to contemporary art, artists, and the creative process, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the excitement of new art and ideas. For more information, call 617-478-3100 or visit our Web site at www.icaboston.org.
About Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1970 and currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California. He received a BA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1991. He has had recent solo exhibitions at White Walls Gallery, San Francisco (2008); Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles (2007); Jonathan Levine Gallery, New York (2007); Stolen Space, London (2007); and Galerie Magda Danysz, Paris (2006). His works are in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. Fairey is also the founder of Studio Number One, a graphic design company.
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