Tuesday, October 6, 2015
8:00pm (Reception, 6:30-7:30pm)
 

An Evening with Shepard Fairey
in conversation with Moby

COVERT TO OVERT:
The Under/Overground Art of Shepard Fairey

Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School
Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. 
VIDEO WILL BE RELEASED ON FRIDAY.
THERE WILL BE NO TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR.

Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary street artist, graphic designer, activist and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He earned a bachelor of fine arts in illustration from Rhode Island School of Design in 1992. His work has been included in the collections of several museums, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

To call Shepard Fairey a “street artist” is a little deceptive. Although he rose out of the skateboarding scene creating his “Andre the Giant Has A Posse” sticker campaign in the late ’80s, he has a mainstream recognition that most street artists never achieve. The title of his new book, Covert to Overt: The Under/Overground Art of Shepard Fairey, acknowledges his evolution from unknown to established artist.

His upcoming book, Covert to Overt — focusing on his post-Obama HOPE poster output — showcases the significant amount of art he has created the last several years. This includes street murals, mixed-media installations, art-music events, countless silkscreens, and work from his extremely successful OBEY brand—all in his signature black, white, and red colors.

 “Shepard Fairey’s art has an undeniable visual appeal with its selective palette and pleasing geometrics, yet the messages conveyed through his work are anything but neat and tidy.”
— Mark Sloan, Director and Chief Curator, Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art
 
And indeed, Fairey has stayed true to his street art roots as the vast majority of his work focuses on a blend of politics, street culture, and fine art, giving it a strong cultural appeal that stretches beyond the art world.

Showcasing his cross-cultural collaborations with musicians, athletes, celebrities, and even cities, as well as covering all his work from paste-ups and prints, to his sculptures and murals, Covert to Overt shows Shepard Fairey as equal parts cultural chronicler and cult-hero artist. It also includes previously unpublished work as well as contributions from collaborators, the likes of Russell Brand, Chris Stein and Jello Biafra.

Moby has been making music since he was 9 years old.  He started out playing classical guitar and then went on to play with seminal connecticut hardcore punk group ‘the vatican commandoes’ when he was 13.  He started DJ’ing after leaving college, and was a fixture in the late 80’s new york house and hip-hop scenes. 

He released his first single, ‘go’ in 1991(listed as one of Rolling Stones best records of all time), and has been making albums ever since. His own records have sold over 20,000,000 copies worldwide, and he’s also produced and remixed scores of other artists, including David Bowie, Metallica, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, among others.

He has toured tirelessly, playing well over 3,000 concerts in his career, and has also had his music used in hundreds of different films, including Heat, Any Given Sunday, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The Beach, among others.

Moby works closely with a variety of different charities, including the Humane Society and the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, and in 2007 he launched Mobygratis, which provides free music for independent film makers.  

Moby’s latest album Innocents, his most collaborative project to date, featuring Wayne Coyne, Cold Specks,  Damien Jurado, Mark Lanegan, and Skylar Grey, was released in october 2013.