Shepard Fairey, the renowned street artist behind the "Obey Giant" campaign and the Barack Obama "Hope" portrait, was arrested in Boston on Friday night on two outstanding warrants for tagging property without permission.
Local police arrested Fairey, 38, as he was about to DJ an event celebrating his new exhibition at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art. Entitled "Supply and Demand," the display is a tribute to Fairey's 20-year career.
According to the Associated Press, Fairey's arrest stemmed from warrants that were issued on Jan. 24 after Boston police determined that he had tagged two locations, one near the Boston University Bridge and the other, a building on the Massachusetts Turnpike, with "Obey Giant" art. Fairey, whose work has made him no stranger to the court system, is scheduled to be arraigned today in Brighton District Court.
Leading up to the unveiling of his exhibition, Fairey made an appearance on the Hill. On the same day the warrants were issued, he and five assistants created a mural for a wall near the Jumbo Express convenience store. Made of paper, the mural has an anti-war message and, like much of the artist's work, draws on Communist propaganda.
Fairey's work became part of mainstream culture last year after the underground street artist created a world-famous portrait of Obama. The portrait features Obama's face on a red, white and blue background with the simple caption "HOPE" inscribed underneath.
But Fairey achieved a more limited, yet quite dedicated, following after his campaign centered around professional wrestler Andre the Giant. These images would become the basis for "Obey Giant," an iconic piece that has appeared throughout the country.
