McCormick On Obey Giant

Obey Giant is an enigma that demands explanation. It is primarily street art, and as such it is more than revenant to consider the context of the graffiti movement that stands before it. That is, every time an Obey Giant sticker is put up anywhere 1it is an act of vandalism. An ad that sells nothing and is not paid for is not just a crime against property and place; it is a dangerous and detrimental subversion of our most revered, prolific and universal language: the semiotics of commerce.



Fairey contends, “The knee-jerk reactions to ‘stop racism’ or ‘question authority’ effect a predetermined response.” By instead issuing a far more ambiguous statement, Fairey makes us actually question what lies behind it rather than simply write the whole sentiment off as another once intriguing but now overused concept to which we are desensitized.