OBEY: The Art of Shepard Fairey brings to Italy for the first time a museum exhibition entirely dedicated to Shepard Fairey (OBEY) , one of the most influential and internationally acclaimed street artists who with his art has shown the evolution of the Street Art and its languages. The exhibition, open from 16 May to 27 October 2024 in the spaces of the Cathedral at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, will offer the public an unprecedented opportunity to explore Obey's artistic universe.

The exhibition is curated by the artist and the Wunderkammern gallery in co-production with the Fabbrica del Vapore and with the support of the Municipality of Milan.

OBEY: The Art of Shepard Fairey it is a visual and conceptual journey through the artist's 35-year career thanks to a rich collection of works personally selected by him: alongside a corpus of works among the most representative of his artistic production, numerous previously unpublished unique pieces specially conceived will be presented for the occasion.

Shepard Fairey (Charleston, 1970) is the artist behind Obey . Known for the “ HOPE ” poster, a portrait of Barack Obama and emblem of the 2008 presidential campaign, Obey stands out for an essential and bold style with a minimalist palette guided by the cultures of hip hop and punk that taught the artist to put social conventions are questioned . This is the poetics with which Fairey animates all his works, inviting the public to question themselves and take a position on current issues of great importance.

The five sections of the Milanese exhibition are inspired by the most representative themes of Shepard Fairey's art: propaganda , peace and justice , music , environment and new works .

Thanks to an immersive journey designed specifically for the Fabbrica del Vapore, each section will offer the viewer the personal vision of the street artist and stimulate deep reflection .

The exhibition opens with works featuring iconic and evocative images and symbols from the famous OBEY campaign with which the artist elevated street art to a powerful means of expression . We then continue through the works of the peace and justice section in which, thanks to the power of images, Shepard Fairey focuses attention on issues such as human rights, abuse of power, war and peace. Particular attention is paid to this last theme, closely connected with the choice of the Fabbrica del Vapore as the venue for his first solo exhibition in Italy: a factory producing material for railways and tramways that went through the two world wars , always refusing to convert its activities in war production .