'Sadistic Dog Walker (Red)' Screen Print by Shepard Fairey
Dimensions: 33 x 24 Inches
Medium: Screenprint on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Francisco Reyes Jr. & Shepard Fairey.
Provenance: Signed by both artists, numbered and dated by Shepard Fairey.
Edition: Limited Edition of 450 (#293/450)
Year: 2021
Condition: Excellent
ABOUT THE ART
I’ve made several images over the years addressing police brutality, and I think humor and absurdity help make such a heavy topic more digestible. There is a violent history of police dogs being used to attack civil rights protesters, which contrasts intensely with the blissful perspective of white dog owners who pamper their dogs and hire dog walkers. Some of us never have to think about how the police abuse their power more frequently in non-white and lower-income communities. This “Sadistic Dog Walker” image encourages us to be aware of the “two Americas.”
–Shepard
Shepard’s posters on police brutality have always been some of my favorite. From the “I’m gonna kick your ass and get away with it” piece to the “Sadistic Florist,” which inspired me to bring forth the idea to Shepard on continuing that narrative. The Public servant with a subversive twist. The tongue-in-cheek tagline of “My Dog Walker Is A Dick” is the sugar that makes the bitter pill easier for the viewer to swallow… but it still has a bite to it!
–Francisco Reyes Jr.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (…OBEY…) sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His work became more widely known in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, specifically his Barack Obama "Hope" poster.
The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.