Shepard Fairey paint it black

Shepard Fairey paint it black

The artist Shepard Fairey signals the oil industry’s lobbyists and public relations campaigns used to maintain positive public opinion of fossil fuels in spite of the devastating effects of carbon emissions on the environment. Fairey suggests that the oil industry is willing to paint the world black with oil spills to extract as much crude oil as possible cheaply. The artwork evokes new coverage of the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska and the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico, environmental catastrophes that were caused by human error, poor oversight, and cost-cutting. The words “Decadent” and “Luxurious” remind us that the continued extraction and use of oil is a luxury humanity cannot afford. Fairey’s practice is abundant with references to popular culture, a strategy employed to create artworks that are simultaneously accessible and thought-provoking. The title, “Paint It Black” references the 1966 song by the Rolling Stones that deals with depression due to a lost loved one. It presents a bleak worldview of desperation where the entire world is painted black. The artist invites us to ponder issues of environmental devastation due to pollution and carbon emissions. He became widely known during the 2008 U.S. presidential election for his Barack Obama "Hope" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston has described him as one of the 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 City, - the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, - the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., - the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, - the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Shepard Fairey paint it black