You may know Shepard Fairey from his OBEY brand or his optimistic portrayal of Barack Obama in an iconic 2008 campaign poster. But the Los Angeles-based artist has left his mark on Philadelphia, too. His work emblazoned with a distinctive red — such as "The Stamp of Incarceration: James Anderson," "Long Play Philly DJs," and "Lotus Diamond" — has long covered the walls of our city.
Now the globally renowned artist is debuting his largest mural in the city thus far. “Uplifting Justice” joins Philly’s portfolio of murals just in time for next year's 250th anniversary of the founding of the country. Nearly two years in the making, the mural looms over Center City passersby, Love Park, and the Philadelphia Family Court building.
Fairey sat down with Hey Philly to discuss why he still has hope in these politically divided times, how he views street art as a democratic medium, and whether Philly is the best mural city in the world.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Your new mural is titled “Uplift Justice.” What does uplifting justice mean to you and how can Philadelphians and Americans do just that?
“Justice has so many different connotations and interpretations, but I view it as looking at what you do in the world that helps others rather than hurts others, and how you think not selfishly, but for the benefit of all humanity and the planet.
“I think that just thinking in that way makes a huge difference because that will inform a lot of the actions that we take. I think that voting for policies that promote equality, promote opportunity, promote a healthy future for the planet; those are all ways to create a more just society.
“Everyone's made a mistake so a path to a more just society, I think, involves giving people a shot at redemption as well.”
How did you select the symbols and textures included in your design and what are they intended to represent?
“The scales of justice are pretty universally understood as a symbol of justice. But this mural features a sort of a V-shape with a woman holding her hands up, looking upward, and the scales of justice are right above her in the V with a flower coming out. So the idea is of justice blooming.
“I use flowers as symbols of health and possibility. If you cultivate justice, if you uplift justice, justice can bloom, and that is good for society and for the world. I also incorporated some floral patterns. I think that flowers are really appealing visually, but also remind us of the importance of a healthy environment and natural beauty. I think we all respond to flowers because it's ingrained in our DNA that this is a symbol of springtime and renewal or health, and that's important for us to cultivate in the world.
“One of the left side floral patterns was inspired by a traditional Pennsylvania fabric design with my personal twist to it. I frequently work from things that have a historical basis, but I evolve them in my style. I like the idea that it's literally part of the fabric of Philadelphia…I love the idea of connecting the history of a place with what we'd like to see in the future of a place.
“Having the Liberty Bell [on the mural]: Next year is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and there are a lot of ideas that hold up well in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution. I'm glad that we've, in many ways, progressed in seeing the pursuit of happiness and access to liberty and justice as more equal, not just for white men. We still have a ways to go and we are facing some serious regression right now, but I think there's a throughline from the founding 250 years ago to where we are now that we should be reminded of.”
When you were last in Philadelphia in 2015, the murals were painted with the help of incarcerated individuals from the Graterford Correctional Facility. Did you have any special community collaboration for the installation of “Uplift Justice”?
“No, this mural I didn't work with a group other than Mural Arts, but with Mural Arts we did discuss a lot of the different things that we all thought were important.
“So we all discussed how to put across some ideas that made sense with some of the founding principles as well as our personal values now.
“And that's really where I think the sweet spot is. When you look at how to unite people, how to find common ground, what are the things that most thoughtful, rational people agree on? And I think that always moving towards a more perfect union and a more just society is something that most people agree on. They don't necessarily agree on the precise mechanics of how to get there, but I think having that sort of guiding principle, that north star, is quite important.”
This mural is being installed ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary and replaces a mural titled “Declaration of Independence.” What role can street artwork play in the promotion and advancement of democracy?
“If you are familiar with Marshall McLuhan's phrase, ‘the medium is the message,’ street art is a democratizing medium. And I'm lucky to work with Philadelphia Mural Arts who understand that art should be accessible to the public. It should be more democratic, and they’re working to facilitate public murals, giving a lot of opportunity to artists and an opportunity to the public to experience art outside of just elitist institutions or galleries, which can be intimidating to people.
“Now, you can go well beyond that and look at the way that a mural is a form of expression that gives someone a voice. And unfortunately, we don't have the robust voter turnout that we should where people are understanding the value of participating in democracy.
“I do think that when people feel like they're sort of spectators in the world rather than meaningful participants, when they see a piece of art that allows somebody to express an idea, they respond to that. It creates a conversation, so there's democracy in that. And it might even prompt them to try to use their voice more effectively, more powerfully, and enrich the entire democratic dialogue. The more people that participate, the better.”
One of your most well-known works is the iconic Barack Obama “HOPE” poster designed for his 2008 campaign. Do you still have the hope you artfully portrayed in that image?
“I always have hope. I think that humans can do horrible things and they can also do really kind, generous, innovative things. It depends on which narrative they seize upon. So I'm always trying to create work that has a hopeful aspiration or is critiquing what I think is the wrong direction.
“I wouldn't be so motivated to make art if I didn't think that it can help achieve change, and so my hope is always alive. It's a tough time right now. But I just work that much harder because of it.”
Your work has taken you all over the world, including Philadelphia several times. Based on your experience, is Philadelphia the best mural city?
“I'm not just pandering. Philadelphia is the best mural city because it has a long tradition of murals, which has not only been maintained, but it's been really amplified and cultivated by Mural Arts.
“Not all of the murals in Philadelphia are facilitated by Mural Arts, but the number that are facilitated by Mural Arts is absolutely impressive. And I think that murals are infectious. People who experience them in their neighborhood, they see how it makes people happy. It gives them something to talk about. It helps build community, and it's always a positive factor in a community.
“I love the irony that [Mural Arts executive director] Jane Golden came from the graffiti abatement side of things, but then having an opportunity to meet a lot of the artists, she realized that even though maybe there was some stuff that needed to be channeled in a more constructive direction, overall the energy behind the graffiti was a very positive force in people's lives — giving them something to be proud of, something to express themselves. And then she's taken that and built out an ecosystem that is incredible, and that's why I think Philadelphia is such a great mural city.
“There are other great mural cities. Miami's got a lot of good murals. L.A.'s got a lot of good murals. But they have a good ways to catch up.”
