We Are Humans Protest Offset

Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" (…OBEY…) sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His work became more widely known in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, specifically his Barack Obama "Hope" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Ernesto Yerena Montejano was born in the small border town of El Centro, California just 15 minutes north of the large metropolitan Mexican City and capital of Baja California Norte of Mexicali. As a child, Ernesto went to school and slept in the U.S. but between school and bedtime most of his time was spent hanging out with his family south of the border in Mexicali. The constant crossing of the border gave Ernesto a unique perspective and in his eyes the best of both worlds; the free education of the first world and the cultural richness and authenticity of the third world. Ernesto began college at the age of 17, has since graduated and received his BA in Graphic Design and has been working as artist assistant for Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant). Ernesto focusses mainly on cultural subjects and issues within the Chicano community. Lithography is a printmaking technique that involves drawing on a flat surface—traditionally limestone, though modern lithographs often use metal plates—with a greasy substance like a specialized crayon or ink. The fundamental principle behind lithography is that oil and water repel each other. The OBEY sticker campaign can be explained as an experiment in Phenomenology. Heidegger describes Phenomenology as “the process of letting things manifest themselves.” Phenomenology attempts to enable people to see clearly something that is right before their eyes but obscured; things that are so taken for granted that they are muted by abstract observation. The FIRST AIM OF PHENOMENOLOGY is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The OBEY sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings. Because people are not used to seeing advertisements or propaganda for which the product or motive is not obvious, frequent and novel encounters with the sticker provoke thought and possible frustration, nevertheless revitalizing the viewer’s perception and attention to detail. The sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker. Because OBEY has no actual meaning, the various reactions and interpretations of those who view it reflect their personality and the nature of their sensibilities. Many people who are familiar with the sticker find the image itself amusing, recognizing it as nonsensical, and are able to derive straightforward visual pleasure