Photo: Obey Giant
Shepard Fairey, the man behind the design for Barack Obama's iconic Hope poster, has released two limited posters for George Harrison.
Fairey was asked to work on a portrait poster to accompany the new box set of Harrison's first six solo albums on the Beatles' Apple Records label. Posters are available in two editions (red and silver), are limited edition to 400 signed and numbered copies and are available at Obey Giant and GeorgeHarrison.com respectively.
Fairey said in a statement: "My parents were Beatles fans and introduced me to them at a young age. In college I grew to especially love the later Beatles albums like Sgt. Peppers, The White Album, and Abbey Road. George Harrison started to contribute more songs to the later Beatles albums that were just as strong as any Lennon-McCartney compositions.
I got George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” album a long time ago, but even as a kid listening to the radio I reacted very emotionally to the song “My Sweet Lord”. The song has a profound beauty and melancholy that is unique and powerful. I love George’s solo material musically, but what speaks to me most about George’s music and actions is his humanity and his soulfulness. When I say soulfulness I don’t mean his music sounds like soul music, even though I know that he was a fan of soul music, what I mean is that his music addresses the full spectrum of human emotions honestly.
I think George looked at himself as a world citizen, and not only brought international influences into his music, but was sensitive to human rights and politics around the globe. I’ve always seen music and art as amazing pleasures, but also as relatable vehicles to deliver a point of view. Art and music can invite people to think about something they might ordinarily not be interested in. George put together the Concert For Bangladesh as a way of using his music to benefit humanity. I admire that he went beyond just writing songs addressing issues, and used his significant cultural weight to be an activist and put something noteworthy together, both as a way of raising money for Bangladesh, and of publicizing the situation there. George is a hero."
Fairey is a huge music fan and has worked on a number of music projects, including with DJ Shadow, DJ Z-Trip and Mick Jagger's Superheavy.
