Robot Monkeys

Shepard Fairey is over. In fact, the whole Soviet Propaganda styling is over.

I discovered Fairey back in 1999. I discovered him as part of my fascination with Soviet Propaganda. I liked the colors, the big bold lines. It was stark. Powerful. Ominous. Even back around the turn of the 20th century, there was a bit of mainstream buzz about him. I remember seeing someone on tv with an “Obey” t-shirt, but that was it. Fairey was still below the radar. But now, he’s everywhere.

It seems like everyday, I see someone wearing a t-shirt. He’s making movie posters, campaign posters, even book covers.

He’s moved from artist to brand, and that’s the death of an artist.

Fairey was always a bit of a hack, but then again so was “acclaimed artist” Andy Warhol. Fairey just showed what some guy with photoshop, four colors, and Google could do. Hell, I own scans of most of the original Soviet art.

Hell even the whole Soviet art thing is passe. If I see “shouting girl” one more time, I’m going to shout.

Yeah, yeah. The intersection of the-things-I-like and the-things-you-like, is the-things-I-used-to-like. Call me an elitist, a snob, even a hipster, I don’t care. Fairey is done.

Since man first stepped foot out of the cave and walked upright, the great thinkers of our species have often wondered, what is the physical manifestation of irony? Precipitation on a marriage ceremony? A baby’s smile, perhaps?

No. These are all wrong. Irony can take only one form. And it’s form is of the flag of the Soviet Union, the iconic and enduring symbol of socialism, communism, and anticapitalism, purchased at a yard sale for five dollars.