André the Giant Has a Posse, now Obey Giant, is a street art movement created by Shepard Fairey, while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), as "an experiment in Phenomenology."
In 1989 Fairey created stickers with an image of the wrestler André the Giant and the text "ANDRE THE GIANT HAS A POSSE 7' 4"", 520lb", as in-joke directed at local skateboarding gangs in Providence, Rhode Island.
In the early 1990s, thousands of these stickers were made and put in visible places throughout the world, primarily in urban settings in the United States, such as SoHo, New York City. In effect, Fairey had created a 'posse' of a wide audience of those who were in on the joke and willing to spread the message.
Threat of a lawsuit from the WWE spurned Fairey to stop using the name André the Giant and create a more iconic image of the wrestler's face.
Over time his art has evolved into a subtle parody of a range of iconic styles, including totalitarian propaganda. It usually bears the text "OBEY GIANT" or simply "OBEY"
In addition to small stickers, Obey Giant has been spread by stencil, murals, and large wheatpaste posters.
OBEY GIANT and other similar pheonomena such as All your base are belong to us may be considered types of meme.
- See also: culture jamming, graffiti, Sticker art.
External links
Last updated: 05-07-2005 10:57:14
