Poster boy

Wind power is patriotic. That may sound schmaltzy, but artist Shepard Fairey, who created the iconic "Hope" poster depicting then presidential candidate Barack Obama, has shown that simple messages appealing to a core Americanism can be powerful. Sierra chatted with Fairey about his artwork for MoveOn.org's clean-energy campaign and art's power to incite domestic heroism.

What makes good political art resonate?
It's still a mystery to me. Sometimes I'm completely wrong. The Obama poster achieved everything I hoped for times 10. The idea is to make an image that appeals to people viscerally and makes them curious about the content and leads them to find a more substantive and intellectual justification for why they like it.

Is it easier to create political art that's against something than for something?
It's a lot easier to be antagonistic and negative. People respond to drama. I did Bush with fangs and blood dripping out the corner of his mouth. It was cathartic, but I don't know if it was constructive.

What got you interested in alternative energy?
I had done some environmental art projects, but when I saw An Inconvenient Truth, my motivation went to the next level.

What in the film motivated you?
The message that global warming is going to be affecting the habitability of the entire planet. I'm not a doom-and-gloom fearmonger, but I have young kids, and I want them to have a bright future.

Beyond that, clean energy appeals to the left and the right. For the lefties, it's good for the environment. But even economic imperialists have to see that, for the United States to remain economically dominant, there's going to have to be technology we can sell to the rest of the world that's not based on fossil fuels. Clean energy seems like the way forward for everyone.

What does your wind-power image convey?
That the windmill is an energy source that's very American. It taps into the spirit of conquering the West the same way as other symbols of Americana. I'm not afraid to tap into xenophobia with a patriotic pro-windmill image if it gets people on board.

The top half looks very United Nations/One World.
The United States is the biggest consumer and the biggest polluter. Embracing clean energy and wind power is going to affect the rest of the planet for the better.

How does environmentally themed art differ from other projects?
A lot of environmental concerns aren't sexy, so how do you make images that intrigue an audience that isn't already on board? I'm trying to find ways to do that visually. I made a piece called These Sunsets Are to Die For! where a couple is looking at a sunset made by pollution. I did a portrait of my wife lying out in the sun with a newspaper covering her face; all the headlines are about global warming, but she's too busy trying to get a tan to pay attention.

There's humor in those pieces, but they're also visually striking. Similarly, Evolve Devolve shows an old-fashioned windmill on the left side of the composition whose structure is similar to an oil derrick that's on fire on the right side. It's not tough to figure out what the message is, but there's a tension between the beauty of the sky and the sinister aspects that creates a dynamic art piece.

MoveOn distributed 300,000 stickers based on your windmill poster. What's the benefit of art that's random and public?
You can appeal to the rebel with an idea that needs to get out, and you can engage an audience that's not already converted. Someone who shares an image can have a more profound effect than if it was distributed through traditional channels. That's always been the strength of imagery that's on the street or viral or grassroots.

Is street art really street pollution?
To people who say I'm just adding to the visual noise, I would say, one, they might not be looking at the subtleties, and two, they might be right. But the reason they're right may be because I have to work against the control of public space by corporate interests. To have any degree of democracy in the use of public space, you have to just take it.

Your Web site says you've been "manufacturing quality dissent since 1989," yet your most recent exhibit was sponsored by Levi Strauss. Are you now an insider?
You need to work outside the system if the system isn't giving you what you need. But even if you've gotten used to being marginalized, that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities to be part of the system on terms that you're comfortable with.

What's your environmental vice?
I make posters that are printed on paper and stickers that are printed on vinyl. Hopefully it's three steps forward and only two steps back.