Street Art: Found Interviews of Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant), WK Interact, D*Face, Faile

The concept of “graffiti” has evolved beyond vandalism and has taken on a purposeful message. Like any art form before it, street art has changed along the way, but perhaps more significant is the way that it has grown beyond fly-by-night antics to something powerful and relevant in the current world.

In many instances, it’s a somewhat “messy” art form, due in part to the media (spray paint, Sharpies, posters) and in part to an intent to attract attention, but in a humorous and/or subversive way. With the 2008 Obama campaign, many of the artists (along with other contemporary artists) devoted their attention to a new cause, and the public noticed. Most notably, the Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant) version of Obama’s image became an icon. The real story there, though, is not that it happened, but that the public paid attention the way it did; the aesthetics of street art have increasingly become a part of more “mainstream” advertising, media, and culture.

But Shepard Fairey/Obey and his art is just one part of the picture. From Banksy (one of the “pioneers”) to Fairey/Obey to the up-and-coming generation, there is an evolving culture and approach to the art. It appears that in addition to a message of freedom and independence (some pushing the boundaries towards anarchy), there is a deeper expression of unrest and a call for an examination of society. It is and isn’t as simple as a form of self-expression that has been juxtaposed against accepted order.

I’ve found some videos of Shepard Fairey/Obey Giant and WK Interact– some of the recognizable leaders– as well as of the younger generation: represented here by D*Face and Faile. In addition to these videos, Streetsy, a site on street art, has a list of “40+ Street Artists You Should Know Besides Banksy.” Obey, WK, D*Face, and Faile are all listed there.

Obey & WK Interact Collaboration at Agnes B. (said to be Tokyo/Paris 2008):
The video’s audio has been removed, but the look at how and what the two do is an interesting comparison.

WK’s Explanation of the Collaboration:

Interview with Shepard in two parts (from Karmaloop, a street clothing site (since Shepard Fairey also does clothing)):
Part 1

Part 2

Interview of D*Face from BBC Blast, a BBC UK initiative aimed at getting teens involved in the arts :

Interview of Faile from BBC Blast :

The image of Shepard Fairey’s Obama was taken from his site.