Street artist Obey says French far right 'hijacked' iconic image

Having gained worldwide renown for his Barack Obama campaign poster, it was a shock for Shepard Fairey, better known by his tag Obey, to discover his work being used by the far right in France.

"It's so ridiculous it's hard for me to even believe," Fairey told AFP in Paris, where an exhibition of his work is running at the Itinerrance Gallery until July 15.

The 54-year-old American is one of the most famous street artists in the world but is also a long-time social justice campaigner.

So he was unimpressed to discover that his image of Marianne, the symbol of the French republic, hangs in the office of Jordan Bardella, president of France's far-right National Rally the party leading in polls ahead of this weekend's fraught elections.

"My work's been hijacked for political purposes, but usually it's subverted in a way that makes sense," he said.

"The audacity to take an image that was about peace and compassion after a terror attack, and also embracing the French slogan, which is a beautiful slogan –– liberty, equality, fraternity, Right-wing people don't have those values."

A print ended up in President Emmanuel Macron's office and was seen by millions during a TV broadcast in 2017, forcing Fairey to defend himself against claims of political bias.

Fairey will not take legal action against Bardella for the same reason he would not do so if former US president Donald Trump used one of his works.

"If I were to take legal action against Trump using one of my images, he would just turn it around as a victory in some way, saying he's being persecuted," said Fairey.

Faith in the power of art

Ultimately, though, Fairey says his years campaigning for causes around race, and climate change have taught him a simple lesson: "Stupid politicians exist because the public allows them to exist."

Coming from the punk rock and skateboarding scenes of the 1980s, Fairey broke into street art with his iconic "Obey" stickers, and graffiti or posters denouncing nuclear weapons dotted around New York and later all over the world.

His 30-year career has featured 135 murals, hundreds of illegal works and 18 arrests, he said.

Although he says he frets about countries such as Britain, Greece, Italy and France moving "dangerously close to fascism", he retains a faith in the power of art.

"Art is a joyful medium and when you look at how heavy things are in the world, how much brutality, how much injustice, if you can't face that with something that gives you joy, then you might not want to face it at all," he said.

"It's not only how we confront difficult topics, it's also how we shape culture and connect with each other."