As underground art phenomenon SHEPARD FAIREY’s first major museum retrospective prepares to open at the INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART/BOSTON on February 6th, we feel the need to address some of the vicious and unfounded rumors surrounding the originality of Shepard’s artwork that have been floated online in recent years. Though written by a variety of different detractors for a questionable array of reasons, the common thread binding them all—aside from a thinly masked veneer of obvious envy in most cases—is a nearly ubiquitous lack of understanding of the artist’s use of appropriated imagery in his work and the longstanding historical precedent for this mode of creative expression.
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Hah. True, I did enjoy it. I just think that by bringing attention to these uninformed rants, it validates them in a twisted way. I am not saying they should be ignored, but these internet stars are just looking for some attention, attempting to stir the pot. But hey, thats what the internet is for, I guess it is up to me to decide where to click. But yeah, I still like your blog. I used to follow fly on the wall religiously when I was just starting. Haven’t published anymore skinhead photos yet, I will let you know when....
My linking to an article here is never an endorsement of its position. Readers should form their own opinions. I see the “Larry Towell needs an ass-kicking” post as part of a trend that really picked up during the 2006 Lebanon war and has flared up again with Haiti, where people are voicing critical opinions of photojournalism. Such criticisms should be faced head on, and it’s pretty cowardly that the “hack” does not allow comments on his post so there could be a response to his inflammatory post. As....
Why are you giving this hack’s jealous opinions any attention? Same with the flickr photographer that is quitting photography?.