Obama artist Shepard Fairey invades Dallas with provocative outdoor murals

Walls on buildings in Dallas neighborhoods are about to be transformed. The transformer, in this case, is celebrated graphic artist Shepard Fairey, who created the “Hope” poster of President Barack Obama.

Fairey and his team fly in on Sunday and begin scouting 12 to 15 locations on Monday before pulling out the paintbrushes on Tuesday. The end result will be at least a dozen giant murals (with one stretching 150 feet wide) in such communities as West Dallas, Oak Cliff and Deep Ellum. Highland Park is not on the list.

Dallas Contemporary, which revels in the edginess of Fairey’s art, commissioned the project. Its director, Peter Doroshenko, loves Fairey’s ability to provoke reaction, no matter where his eerily bold images leave their imprint.

Aside from two events feting Fairey, none of his art will be shown at the Design District museum, even as it foots the bill for the outdoor murals.

“We’re doing this project to go beyond our walls, our building,” says Doroshenko, who came to Dallas Contemporary 14 months ago and worked with Fairey on a project in the United Kingdom in 2006.

Doroshenko cites Fairey as one of several artists he hopes to bring to Dallas “who work in nontraditional or outdoor kinds of ways, so that you don’t have to travel to Toulouse or Tunisia to see their work. It’s here, in the city, where it will reach millions of people as they drive by on the freeway or on their way to work.” Fairey loves having an outdoor canvas, Doroshenko says, rather than having to confine his work to a museum. Fairey, like Doroshenko, revels in the notion of “adding art to a person’s everyday repertoire.”

Doroshenko calls the project “giving back to the community and on a grand scale.” He says he picked Fairey not just because he knows him but also because “all the street artists that work in Dallas or Texas are influenced by him.” Even city officials and private landlords have come to appreciate what Doroshenko calls Fairey’s “art intervention” in their communities.

Fairey, 42, grew up in South Carolina, where in 1984 he launched his career drawing on skateboards and T-shirts. In 1992, he graduated from the elite Rhode Island School of Design, which is also the alma mater of LA sculptor Elliott Hundley, whose new show opened Saturday at the Nasher Sculpture Center.

In 1989, Fairey created his famous "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker, which evolved into the "Obey Giant" campaign. Time magazine sharply heightened his profile by having him design its 2008 Person of the Year cover (Obama). He got an encore by doing its 2011 Person of the Year cover ("The Protester," in deference to Occupy Wall Street, Arab Spring and other international movements).

As for controversy, Doroshenko says: “Shepard is a graphic designer. Most of his work deals with issues that center around peace, meditation, pacifist ideas … I guess some people consider that provocative. But if you look at the imagery, it has to do with embracing all races, using the dove as a peace symbol. It may have guns, but they all have flowers in them.”

Fairey’s work “reaches out to individuals who don’t have a background in art or art history. But when you see his work on the streets, it stops you. You don’t expect to see artwork going to the bank. It’s hard not to see his work anywhere in the world and not have an emotional response.”

His foray into Dallas "seeks to empower communities," Doroshenko says. "It's about saying, 'Somebody cares about you. We're adding art to your life. We know you can't make it to the museum. You're busy working, or you have a busy family schedule, so here's something that fits in the matrix of your area, where you live.' I don't see anyone better for that than Shepard Fairey."

Plan your life

Shepard Fairey will sign copies of Obey: Supply and Demand at a members-only event 6 p.m. Thursday at Dallas Contemporary, 161 Glass St. A chitchat at 7 p.m. is open to the public.

His murals will be celebrated at the museum 9 p.m. Feb. 4. Tickets are $50; call 214-821-2522 or go to dallascontemporary.org.