My days in Venice, Italy with Shepard Fairey

On 23 May 2009, I traveled to Venice, Italy to be with Shepard and Amanda Fairey (and family) as an observer, admirer and friend. It was so amazing to what was happening to Shepard after all these years, and I was eager to be a fly on the wall as witness, even just for a short time.

After 20 years of Shepard’s seminal “Obey” campaign, the city of Venice opened their arms and their public spaces for Shepard’s work to be on display legally. What is happening now is fairly significant in the world of art, especially for so called (don’t call us) street artists. When Shepard was asked to come to Venice, he didn’t want to do it unless he could benefit a charity of some sort, so the SMS Venice was contacted and the project was put into motion. The SMS (Saint Mark’s Square) Venice is an organization formed for the preservation and conservation of the city of Venice. To date, he is donating 6 fine art pieces and all public installation pieces for auction for the charity. Most of the public installation pieces will be on display until the end of June or early July and were hung in such prominent places as Piazza San Marco, and along the Grand Canal on the Palazzo Querini Dobois building and on the facade of the Ca Corner Regina Palace. A part of the cloister wall where an installation piece 7 feet by 25 inches at the Accademia of Fine Arts has been donated to the school and will stay on display as long as the school exists.

On Monday 30 May 2009, I accompanied the Fairey entourage on a water taxi ride to view the proposed installation sites. Shortly after disembarking from the boat in Piazza San Marco we had a visit with the Superintendent of Monuments and Fine Arts, Renata Codello, whose office was in the Doge’s Palace and whose job it is to approve any initiatives involving public space or any Venetian Building, especially the exteriors. To hear Renata Codello say “We are very happy to have you here and to share your artwork with our city” was pretty mind blowing. Here was Shepard Fairey, public nuisance #1 to graffiti abatement and police forces all of the the USA and elsewhere being welcomed, (thanked even!) for coming to Venice and installing his work. We all commented to Shepard a few days later “It must have been immensely satisfying to hear that coming from someone with so much power” and he said, “Yes and also again the next day when I met Massimo Cacciari (the Mayor of Venice) and he said the same thing.” I was told that all cities in Italy have such offices and Superintendents who are in charge of preserving the city, but I can think of no other city in Italy, (it is a renowned World Heritage Site) whose superintendent would have more responsibility, and yet there he was, getting the green light.

Massimo Cacciari presents Shepard with a symbol of Venice
(Massimo Cacciari, Amanda Fairey, Fran Tomasi, Shepard Fairey, Tobia Tomasi, Isadora Tomasi)
Photo: Tommaso Gastaldi

The Italian papers said that the project is a “salvation” project for Venice, one in this case where it is art that saves art. They write about the fact that at one time there were sponsors who payed to restore ancient and artistic buildings, but now it is art projects like this doing the work. They also say that this is a first for Italy and it is surely an event that will give more credibility to street art.

Installation in Piazza San Marco
Photo: Romina Greggio

Shepard went on to say that it was a disappointment that many of his contemporaries coming up at the same time have not been supportive of his recent success, and had chosen to critique his work or approach, and he has been somewhat surprised at this reaction. This made me feel even happier for Shepard having this type of validation. From my perspective, it’s not that the Presidential Portrait in the Smithsonian wasn’t enough, it’s just that this was Venice, during the 2009 Biennale and the whole of the mainstream art world would see his work. This could dramatically change perception of this type of art and if the reporters are correct, it already has. We all know Basquiat and Haring did street art and they broke through to the mainstream art world, but this seems different, the world seems more ready now. Maybe it was the Obama campaign that helped Shepard achieve this, but somebody had to do it to help usher in an a transformation in respect for all artists, whatever their methods or training.

Tracy Forman / Arkitip, Inc.