Artist Of The Obama ‘Hope’ Poster, Shepard Fairey, Bashes The President In New Interview


Well-known street artist Shepard Fairey, who was boosted in recognition after creating the “Hope” poster of Obama in 2008, has admitted that he is disappointed with how the presidency is being handled. In a recent interview with Esquire, the artist was asked if he felt that Obama has lived up to his campaign motto “hope.” Shepard Fairey’s response was “not even close.”

Fairey, as an artist who deals a lot with political themes, maintains a certain insight to politics. He had spoken out in 2008 about his frustrations with the Bush administration, and now he finds that the Obama Administration ignites a similar disdain. When asked why he felt that Obama had not lived up to his promises and left America with no “hope,” Shepard Fairey explained in full.

“Obama has had a really tough time, but there have been a lot of things that he’s compromised on that I never would have expected. I mean, drones and domestic spying are the last things I would have thought he’d support.”

Even with his disappointment for the president, Shepard goes on to mention some of the good qualities that Obama possesses. He hints that if these personal qualities were applied to the presidency, Obama may have been able to keep “hope” alive.

“I’ve met Obama a few times, and I think Obama’s a quality human being, but I think that he finds himself in a position where your actions are largely dictated by things out of your control. I’m not giving him a pass for not being more courageous, but I do think the entire system needs an overhaul and taking money out of politics would be a really good first step.”

While at first Shepard Fairey appeared to be bashing Obama, he explains that his disappointment is not disrespect and goes on to bash the people who do express hatred toward the president but do not take responsibility for the current state of the country.

“When you live in a place that has a lot of good things that make life easier, it’s easier to take them for granted. But what frustrates me to no end are people who want to blame Obama or blame anything that is something that if they were actually doing anything as simple as voting, it might not be as bad as it is. There’s a lot of finger pointing and very little action and very little research into the dynamics that created the situation that they’re unhappy about.”

Fairey has admitted that he also has created the situation by voting for Obama in both 2008 and 2012. Shepard Fairey has an idea about how the presidency should be run, and he now passes on that knowledge to 2016 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

[Image via LA Times]

Share this article: Artist Of The Obama ‘Hope’ Poster, Shepard Fairey, Bashes The President In New Interview
More from Inquisitr