Shepard Fairey's iconic tri-colored image of Barack Obama gets a fishicizing for an annual fundraising poster contest at Lambertville's Shad Fest, this weekend on the shores of the Delaware River. An auction of all the shad poster submission raises funds for art scholarships for local students.
The poster, displayed along with other entries in shop windows, has been drawing admiration and also some sharp criticism from passersby who think it's disrespectful, even racist.
I think it's hilarious. Obama, with a dorsal fin making a point on his head, and pectoral fins for ears? Really? I love it. I want one.
The original Obama image, just acquired by the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., is recognized and celebrated art. But Fairey, 39, has a storied guerilla art life and has enjoyed underground, pop-culture star status for 20 years. He's also a little bit of a bad-boy. It was a mark of the Obama campaign's status as the culturally-forward, hip campaign that they used and promoted Fairey's graphic Obama portrait.
In fact, this is how popular it got, as people lined up to make themselves into Obama.
So, I don't know how Fairey would see all this; flattery or stealing. But it makes me laugh. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.
The blue fish won. Have a great weekend, everybody.
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