On May 22nd, Shepard Fairey (featured) will be returning to Detroit for the first time in over a decade for a solo at Library Street Collective. Printed Matters is a continuous series of exhibitions which focuses on the importance of printed material in the Los Angeles-based artist’s oeuvre.
On display will be will be serigraphs on paper, editions on wood, editions on metal, and fine art collage on which Shep states – “I’m a product of the era of mass production and the mass culture it has created. I can’t imagine my art practice without the influence of, and the use of, printing. Some of my biggest art influences were not paintings, but printed things like album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t-shirt designs. When I discovered stencil making and screen-printing in high school, I used them to make t-shirts and stickers, but by college I began to use screen-printing to make art. I enjoyed illustration, photography, collage, and graphic design separately, but with screen-printing I could synthesize those techniques into an integrated final product. Screen-printing also provided latitude for experimentation and the ability to make multiples, and my style began to evolve as I explored the graphic nature of the medium. I tried to make images that would translate well to screen-print production. A harmony of beauty, power, and utility was my goal.”
Coinciding with this show will be five large scale paintings for LSC’s outdoor exhibition platform behind the gallery – Public Matter. Located between the Z parking garage within the Belt, the space also features permanent murals by more than a dozen local, national and international artists.
Discuss Shepard Fairey here.
