Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
National
RFI

American street artist says French far-right party 'hijacked' his art

American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing Shepard Fairey, poses for photographs during an exhibition at the "Itinerrance Gallery" in Paris on 20 June, 2024. AFP - JOEL SAGET

American artist Shepard Fairey, better known by his tag Obey, was not pleased to discover his work being used by the far- right National Rally political party in France.

The 54-year-old American – renowned for his 2009 Barack Obama US presidential election campaign poster – is one of the most famous street artists in the world, but is also a long-time social justice campaigner.

He was unimpressed to discover that his image of Marianne, the symbol of the French republic, hangs in the office of Jordan Bardella, president of France's far-right National Rally – the party leading in polls ahead of this weekend's fraught elections.

A number of internet users pointed out this when Bardella appeared in a TV interview with the Marianne portrait behind him in the background.

"It's so ridiculous it's hard for me to even believe," Fairey told French news agency AFP in Paris, where an exhibition of his work is running at the Itinerrance Gallery until 15 July.

"My work's been hijacked for political purposes, but usually it's subverted in a way that makes sense," he said.

Gesture of solidarity

"The audacity to take an image that was about peace and compassion after a terror attack, and also embracing the French slogan, which is a beautiful slogan – liberty, equality, fraternity... Right-wing people don't have those values."

Fairey created his version of Marianne on a red, white and blue background as a gesture of solidarity after the terrorist attacks of November 2015, initially as a mural in southern Paris.

A print ended up in President Emmanuel Macron's office and was seen by millions during a TV broadcast in 2017, forcing Fairey to defend himself against claims of political bias.

Fairey will not take legal action against Bardella for the same reason he would not do so if former US president Donald Trump used one of his works.

"If I were to take legal action against Trump using one of my images, he would just turn it around as a victory in some way, saying he's being persecuted," said Fairey.

"Trump only rose because he was given attention that he shouldn't have been given. He has the mindset of an angry toddler. He should have been ignored by all the media from the beginning."

Artist Shepard Fairey unveils his portrait of US President-elect Barack Obama before it was installed at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington on 17 January, 2009. (Photo : AFP)

Art is a joyful medium

Ultimately, though, Fairey says his years campaigning for causes around race, gay rights and climate change have taught him a simple lesson: "Stupid politicians exist because the public allows them to exist."

Coming from the punk rock and skateboarding scenes of the 1980s, Fairey broke into street art with his iconic "Obey" stickers, and graffiti or posters denouncing homophobia and nuclear weapons dotted around New York and later all over the world.

His 30-year career has featured 135 murals, hundreds of illegal works and 18 arrests, he said.

Although he says he frets about countries such as Britain, Greece, Italy and France moving "dangerously close to fascism", he retains a faith in the power of art.

"Art is a joyful medium and when you look at how heavy things are in the world, how much brutality, how much injustice, if you can't face that with something that gives you joy, then you might not want to face it at all," he said.

"It's not only how we confront difficult topics, it's also how we shape culture and connect with each other."

(with AFP)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.