OBEY THE GIANT
Few contemporary wrestlers are known as widely as Andrè the Giant. However, many people don't know Andrè as the 7'4" tall Frenchman. but rather as the abstract face staring out from a sign or sticker that only says OBEY. This symbol has traveled all over the world, has been featured in art shows, movies, and on it's most well suited canvas - the streets.
The OBEY symbol was created by Shepherd Fairey in 1989, while he was a student at RISD. When Fairey was in high school, he made stickers of skateboard and punk band logos so he wouldn't have to buy them. In college, he and a friend wanted to poke fun at the skater posses in Providence, RI, so he created a sticker featuring Andrè the Giant which read "Andrè the Giant has a posse".
The stickers created a lot of interest, because no one knew what it meant. Fueled by the controversy and his love of stickers, Fairey went on to create a more abstract image of Andrè with only the word: OBEY beneath it. He sent it to his friends all over the country who posted the stickers, making OBEY recognized nationally. Eventually, the image went worldwide.
Fairey describes the project as an “elaborate propaganda campaign” which seeks to spark people’s interest in their surroundings by giving them a clear order with no motive. The symbol itself is meaningless and is therefore interpreted in many different ways.
You can buy products with the OBEY symbol on it on the official site and in stores across the nation. Surprisingly enough, Fairey encourages people to simply take the image and make their own stencils and stickers. OBEY is still considered a graffiti movement accessible to all people. Fairey himself admits he still puts up OBEY stickers and posters illegally even though his work is featured in galleries across the world.
By Elizabeth Soles
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