Currently at Subliminal Projects is Shepard Fairey's "50 Shades of Black", a collection of artwork deriving inspiration from the 12-inch record cover format. The show features 50 Hand Painted Multiples and a box set with screen print editions of each of the 50 new album cover designs. As a DJ and music enthusiast, Fairey has personalized this body of work to express the influential impact music continues to have on his art. Serving as a visual testament, it's as though he personifies his art into a ruthless rebel in need of music, its partner in crime. Fairey conveys music as a respectable artistic outlet, highlighting its undeniable effect on those who satisfy their auditory needs. Staying true to his style, he also touches on "social and political chords through his careful consideration of which music personalities and movements he chooses to echo within every unique design." "Music has taught me a great deal about connecting with a broad audience. Music is universal. I’ve had some very moving encounters with art in my life, especially in the street, but almost nothing can compare to the first time I heard the boots marching and first chord of the Sex Pistols’ “Holidays in the Sun”, or the air raid sirens leading into “too black, too strong” on the intro to Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, or the opening guitar scream of Black Flag’s “Rise Above.” Music is visceral, but also has the additional powerful layers of the lyrics, with their content and politics, and then there’s also the style and personalities of the musicians themselves. Compelling album covers have always been a great complement to great music. There’s something subversive about bundling seductive visuals with provocative ideas, or provocative visuals with seductive ideas. An audience that’s looking for escape doesn’t expect a confrontation and a call to action, but I believe the best music, and the best art, can deliver both. Call the approach hi-brow/lo-fi or lo-brow/hi-fi, but I try to use it in my artwork to capture the same energy and spirit that makes music so powerful." - Shepard Fairey
"50 Shades of Black" will run through May 17th. Take a look at a few of Fairey's pieces via the gallery.
