Shepard Fairey Quotes & Sayings

“For me, there has always been a disconnect with the sort of elitist structure of the high-art world - and my distaste for that is at odds with my feeling that art should aspire to do great things.”

“The way I make art - the way a lot of people make art - is as an extension of language and communication, where references are incredibly important.”

“Art shows and the institutions end up being the couriers for culture for the next generation and are an important component as well. It may seem ironic from one perspective, but I think if you look at my overall strategy, it's actually not out of step.”

“When you walk down the street and see something in a crazy spot, there's something powerful about that. The street will always be an important part of getting art out there for me.”

“When I think about how I want to reach an audience, I just wanted to make pieces that were inspired by something that gave me so much pleasure.”

“I've never really considered myself just a street artist. I consider myself a populist.”

“Propaganda has a negative connotation, which it partially deserves, but I think there is some propaganda that is very positive. I feel that if you can do something that gets people's attention, then maybe they'll go and find out more about the person.”

“I admire Ai Weiwei for his art and his activism. His art is beautiful in form, and in function embodies the principles of populism and social consciousness I aspire to in my own practice.”

“If you're creating something that has some sort of cultural currency - if the idea is getting out there - then that will probably yield money in some form, whether it's through selling art or selling books or being asked to give a lecture.”

“I don't have this obsessive need to do street art all the time because it's already opened doors for me.”