tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8835775.post4942164699178688308..comments2023-10-15T06:45:15.539-05:00Comments on PYLB: Foul Play GiantPYLBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12995549636385804903noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8835775.post-46430226162824607822009-11-02T13:49:11.593-06:002009-11-02T13:49:11.593-06:00Right, when he first popped up, Fairey was all abo...Right, when he first popped up, Fairey was all about "the medium is the message". I expected him to walk the walk more than just talk the talk.<br /><br />What is the message you get from the medium of a mass-produced $50 t-shirt based on a tracing of someone else's art? Don't get me wrong, some of his work is arresting, but the message he's sending through each medium is a big disappointment to me. <br /><br />IMHO, his work would be more rewarding if he attributed all those sources.PYLBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12995549636385804903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8835775.post-80439205589253090352009-11-01T21:12:05.119-06:002009-11-01T21:12:05.119-06:00When I first saw the Andre the Giant "Obey&qu...When I first saw the Andre the Giant "Obey" stickers and posters out on the streets in the late 90's, I really liked them. It was fun looking for them in every big city I went to. I liked how they crept into the urban landscape. OBEY. It seemed mysterious because I didn't know anything about the artist yet. Seemed cool. It inspired me to immediately make my own stickers and put them out there. I had no idea so many images of his were "borrowed".<br /><br />Fast forward a few years and you can buy OBEY images on t-shirts. Really expensive t-shirts. I'm not accusing sell-out at all, making money on your art is fine. What changed though is that this wasn't just a little street art project anymore. <br /><br />When it was "just about putting the message out on the streets" it was perfectly acceptable to use appropriated images. But selling prints, t-shirts and exhibiting in galleries, and using other peoples images is completely different. Maybe this evolution happened so gradually and naturally that his use of others images was really meant to be "fair use". I feel like he probably felt that way.<br /><br />But at some point, this turned into a career where as you said "he continually passes himself off as original, and profits from creativity that simply wasn't his - without giving proper credit and attribution."<br /><br />Maybe it was only a matter of time before he sampled an image which the original artist would be willing to fight him for. Maybe his reputation will take a hit. Or maybe there's no such thing as publicity. I'll be watching with interest to see how this plays out.Duh Onlyhttp://duhonly.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com