PADDY WALSH:  I recently traveled to Los Angeles to visit the headquarters of Shepard Fairey; the graphic designer responsible for the iconic “HOPE” poster of President Obama. We were in the LA to track down some of his prints for a forthcoming exhibition, and there was no better place to start.

Even before Shepard Fairey’s Obama portrait became the iconic image of the Democratic election campaign, he was one of the USA's most popular and influential contemporary artists. Coming from a street art background, Fairey has won recognition from the world of fine art without ever turning his back on those street art roots. Since Fairey founded Studio No.1 in 2003, it has rapidly grown into a design powerhouse. As a highly sought after agency there are multiple projects on the go at any one time, so while Fairey himself is often on the road installing shows in the world’s most prestigious galleries, the studio is constantly active in his absence. 

There is a cluster of talented designers in residence. Some of them, like Cleon Peterson and Ernesto Yerena, are well-known artists in their own right. In their capacity as graphic designers, they are fluent on the stylistic language that Fairey has cultivated. Looking through Studio One’s portfolio, you get a strong sense of a unified output, with each designer adhering to an established set of techniques and principles.

 As individual artists, however, they are each developing extremely distinctive styles. It’s as if the process of adhering to a design template on a professional basis encourages them to diversify their own artwork, pushing one another in different directions to establish their own sense of identity.

After we’d been shown around the huge Studio One complex, we were summoned in to see the man himself. When we entered Fairey’s office he was sat at his desk, agonizing over photos of a recent installation at the Cartier Foundation in Paris. He was unhappy with the scale of the piece, in which one character did not quite stretch to fill the full height of the wall. I don’t think anyone would have noticed that anything was out of place, it looked fantastic, but Fairey simply said that he “couldn’t live with it.” He asked his assistant, Delphine, if she could go to Paris and redo that part of the wall, a task she completed the following week.

It’s clear that Fairey is a perfectionist by nature; he can’t bear the thought of an error being left unchecked, even on a temporary installation. While he was talking to Delphine I had a quick look round. His office is a veritable treasure trove of contemporary art; Barry McGee, Banksy, Space Invader, and Blek Le Rat. There was even an old photo of him board-sliding down a handrail; it turns out he used to be an accomplished skateboarder, evidently he is a man of many talents.

Fairey took us down to the print archive to pick out some pieces for our show. We got a beautiful selection of signed artist proofs, including four that go together really well as a series. Although his technique is immediately recognisable, he continues to produce strikingly original images and it was a pleasure hearing him discuss his work first hand. 

What comes across most strongly is how passionate Fairey is about each and every piece. When understood in context, each one forms part of a world-view that comprises both an acute political consciousness and a willingness to engage with popular culture. Finally, Fairey talked us through his most recent piece in which he has paraphrased the right wing’s reaction to Obama’s green agenda. It has been suggested that decreasing CO2 emissions could lead to an ice age, and Fairey finds this hilarious.

A selection of Shepard Fairey prints will appear at the forthcoming show:

LAVA Collective presents: Cityscape 

November 5th-15th 2009 Free entry: 11am-7pm

Dray Walk Gallery, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane London E1 6QL