Interesting discussion, Fairey/Appropriation. What’s this whiteness stuff?

Whiteness is shorthand for the characteristics commonly associated with those who have historically lorded power over the races and ethnicities long ago deemed non-white by themselves. These characterists include but are not limited to blind spots to that very dynamic, theft, appropriation, colonization, eradication of culture, violence, and so on. That’s the quick breakdown. Yes, ware essentialism; yes, ware overgeneralizing, etc.

After reading further it seems to me a collaboration exists between artists.

I don’t see this as mutually exclusive with the points I made, necessarily.

I wonder if it is a branding issue, tagging to a familiar and known brand. Old advertising tactic that in this case because of who Fairey is has raised the question of motive.

If you read my original post on this matter as well as the follow-up, you’ll see that I was (amazingly enough) ignorant of Fairey’s rep as an appropriator/thief! So. His rep may have influenced one or more commenter’s comments. Perhaps. It’s possible. But again, not my original post on the topic. Regardless, I think rather than assume his critics are suffering some sort of mass hallucination, it’s simpler and safer to describe it as many people who simply feel Fairey repurposes shit in a disrespectful way.

As far as your point on hitching a ride with a larger name for a good cause, sure. Many things go on in any action or happenstance. Never simply one dynamic! The idea is to look at them all, and think about what good is done, and what harm is done. Right? Many things happening at once. Nothing wrong with talking about them all—especially the more insidious, harder to ferret out aspects. Those definitely need someone talking about them somewhere. This is how we improve our consciousness collectively, I imagine. Or one of the ways.

If you will stay with me I will try to make my point.

I’m right here.

The target audience is the Corporate Indoctrinated Public. The images are designed with a corporate vocabulary that is understood by the audience. Does that make sense.

Sure! And I even imagine it sounds like something I’d imagine Fairey would offer, himself. It makes sense. Again, tho: not mutually exclusive to my points.

With respect to the immigration issue you don’t have to sell to the choir. The broader audience the audience targeted and the audience needed is comfortable with the vocabulary.

You assert that Fairey is not original enough to create art powerful enough to move people unless it echoes icons they’ve seen all their life. That makes sense. I guess I’d agree. Though I suppose I was giving him more credit than that.

Have you ever watched the Glenn Beck show? Beck has appropriated Fairey’s image style. In fact his whole website and T.V. show set is visually dominated with appropriated images in the Fairey style depicting the Founding Fathers, the Flag. In fact Beck sells posters and tee-shirts via his website of these appropriated images styles that use this familiar vocabulary, (the hope poster and others) which are appropriated from cross cultural historical propaganda imagery. Imagery that has a history of successful communication. So if the intent is to reach that indoctrinated audience you have to use familiar tactics, vocabulary and images.

Well. Beck uses flags. And icons of famous people. In frame. Does he really create art that pretends to be new by putting his own take on older art? If so, I wasn’t aware of it. And no, I don’t watch his show. Though I’ve seen a few seconds here and there online in videos.

But as far as I was aware, Beck is not grabbing other people’s art and reshaping it as his. Unless—again—I missed the fact that Beck is an artist. He’s a TV actor, a propagandist and a performer. But he doesn’t paint. God. I shudder to think of what he’d produce. Did you see “The Sweater?” Be grateful.

UPDATE: Okay, I happened across a pic of G. Washington that looks exactly like Fairey’s work. So now I can see in my mind what you were talking about…but I’m not sure what the point is. Yes, I get the point that Beck is referencing it because Fairey’s style is in the collective image pool/mind…but again, Beck is lazy and a propagandist. So he’s hardly the one to point at to justify the actions of someone accused of being less than ethical…

Color is also a powerful element because color is a dominate [sic] part of the vocabulary. All the good colors like whiteness, brownness, greenness and so on have been used up and do not describe the target audience.

Good colors? Used up? I’m sorry, I don’t follow you. Nor do I think we can know what Fairey’s target was. Though I don’t mind your ruminating on it at all.

The target I think is Cooperate-ness and I think we need a new color that says corporation when it is seen or heard. After all if I didn’t miss the point we need to bring people together, not further divide, right?

Yes, you miss the point. I am critiquing Whiteness. Not your new color. But I appreciate the lingual tricks you are doing. That’s fun. I love language. Unless you meant to write “corporateness.” And if that is the case, I’d say that I do think the target would logically be those voters in the US who are either apathetic to immigrants, unaware, or hostile. One or more crowds therein. I don’t think that “We Are Human” really works for either group. And hey, some other people do. It’s cool. I accept that. We all see different things when we look at a thing.

Fairey it is often said steals, appropriates. Perhaps in the context of visual vocabulary maybe not.

No, I get ya. Fairey has a pastiche, mashup, collage style. It’s its own thing. Not denying that. And it’s often really hot to look at. Fun. And it does resonate with all those items taken from the collective psychological image pool. But siphoning money from a person by leveraging their power or work or resources is also it’s “own thing.” And what he does, to my mind, is what is done when people make new outfits that they feel are cool, by mixing native american ritual dress with, say, rave gear. Now they have something hot and new. True. Yet, there I will be, rolling up on the scene, perhaps to drop a note about how this potentially harms a community, or at least aids in the eradication of meaning and culture by using powerful talismans as your own objects with no prior magic or energy or use to them.

Why are we writing in English?

Sadly, I am mostly monolingual. If I wrote in any other language…say, Spanish? I’d not be able to express most of what I do. I’d speak with the alacrity and poetry of a three year old. Less, maybe. So, yeah. I’ll need to improve that. But until then, I write in the language I know.

If you want to reach that broader audience you have to use their tactics and vocabulary or the language is foreign to them, they won’t get it. I am just saying. Nice blog.

Thank you! Nice comment.

Color is also a powerful element because color is a dominate part of the vocabulary. All the good colors like whiteness, brownness, greenness and so on have been used up and do not describe the target audience. The target I think is Cooperate-ness and I think we need a new color that says corporation when it is seen or heard. After all if I didn’t miss the point we need to bring people together, not further divide, right?

Fairey it is often said steals, appropriates. Perhaps in the context of visual vocabulary maybe not. Why are we writing in English? If you want to reach that broader audience you have to use their tactics and vocabulary or the language is foreign to them, they won’t get it. I am just saying. Nice blog.

The only critical thing I was going to say is that I didn’t see much evidence that Fairey was seeking to personally profit financially or socially off these posters. I had seen an interview with him about the AP photo controversy a while ago and he seemed genuine and all about art from the bottom-up.

Then I checked the Obeygiant homepage just to have a look. Fairey says in a recent update he’s “very flattered that the agency Crispin Porter & Bugosky included my HOPE graphic in their design.” Then I read his Wikipedia bio. He got his start producing ads for Pepsi and other big corporations.

Wtf? Why should this guy be welcome in any grassroots/radical movement? There’s abundant evidence that, besides cloaking himself in subversive language, he’s no different from any other white male capitalist. Seeing him thank CP&J, one of the biggies ad agencies in the world, struck a nerve – CP&J produced a series of obnoxious, masculinist ads for Burger King while the Coalition of Immokalee Workers were trying to pressure the chain into adopting their penny-per-pound/human rights framework for tomato pickers. I would go to CIW protests and then see those ads on TV. Clearly Fairey hasn’t outgrown his roots in the corporate propaganda business. The more I look at his “art,” the more I see that. Not to mention the questions of plagiarism.

So thanks – this has been a teaching moment for me, that guys like this don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt…

nezua knows what he is talking about period. it would help you to recognize that.

i might even suggest that you respectfully take what is being raised here to expand and enlighten those that you feel need your defense. you are not doing them a service here by not working on your own reactions first, and limiting yourself with what you think you already know (your own understanding).
i don’t think your intention here mr a1 is hostile, your motives are probably well intended. however, my impression is “thou doth protest too much” and you risk losing the opportunity to better understand the complexities of this issue, to help raise the consciousness for the better way needed for change.

peace, one love, pass it on.

peace.

Further, as has already been pointed out by Nezua & los demas, it’s ironic how those who are trying to defend the project use such arrogant language– which just reflects poorly on Fairey and the project.

sorry for the long post– this whole thing has triggered reflection on this and topics I study in literature and it helps (me) to write it out!

fuck homesauce! plz. dood changes his argument and approach each comment. so take any words within them with a grain of salt. i just dont get the persistance, coupled with the derision that tries to act like its “civil.” maybe homesauce feels NDLON’s contribution and energy is being stained by association with fairey and his checkered past of cultural appropriation, but i disagree. i don’t feel bad at all about ernesto or NDLON, of course! more power to both of them and to de la rocha! and to the movement. this fool acts like because of Nezua’s post, the immigration reform movement will falter and fail! what a trip.

What you and your readers are still failing to understand,

Hey Al? Bite me. Our advancing arguments you can’t bring yourself to counter intelligently does not constitute our “failing to understand” anything.

Some of us were progressive before it became a hipster fashion statement. Some of us are continuing to be progressive even where it may conflict with hipster fashion.

The Revolution Will Not Be Posterized, little man. Don’t try to condescend to people: you’re not very good at it.

I do think he has confirmed that Yerena is involved with Fairey for the sake of the movement, issues, and projects. I wish him the best of luck.