With 2 outstanding warrants, Shepard Fairey was arrested last night at his exhibition,
Supply & Demand. He was charged for damage to property for the graffiti that he did in Boston. Although this may be shocking to some, many people have known him for his relentless effort to push street art, with his
Obey the Giant stickers/posters, and have questioned the legality of his work. As an artist/designer myself, I constantly wonder about the rights to display work and from my understanding, it's only legal if the property owner allows you to do so-even if it's a sticker, it needs to be approved before getting it on the property. I personally wouldn't even dare putting my company stickers on properties without an approval. And still, people do it anyways.
For Fairey to be arrested, I think this is partly because of the recent fame from the popular
Obama posters. Even the photographer who snapped the original picture is sueing him for infringement. Whether it was legal or not, I feel that this may not be the end of it. Now that people recognize him, more will claim for the property damage that he've done in the past.
