Spread the Word

Except in the case of Shepard Fairey, who does indeed own his Obey image, street art rarely comes with a © attached. In the book Reproduce & Revolt, artists Favianna Rodriguez and Josh MacPhee present political graphics they collected from artists around the world, dealing with everything from gender inequality, activism, and queer liberation to globalization and immigration. But this isn’t just a lefty coffeetable book. Using bold images that are ready for the Xerox machine, the editors want you to reproduce the work where and how you see fit, whether you use stencils, posters, T-shirts, walls, whatever. Maybe you’d like Karl Xtravaganza’s HOMO on a hat, in homage to Robert Indiana's famed LOVE with the tilted O? Or perhaps the words “Gulf War Syndrome Makes Your Semen Burn Like Hot Lava” stenciled on a sidewalk? The book has plenty of variations on “No Blood for Oil” and more than a few fists raised, but it also has a creepy rat’s tail coming from the backside of Mickey Mouse, which is the Mexican artist Alejandro Magallanes’ assessment on what’s behind the “American Fantasy.” There’s something for activists of every stripe — one piece is titled “Say No to Grapefruit Diets.” Not going to argue with that.

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More About

• Shepard Fairey
• Robert Indiana
• Mickey Mouse
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media
• Visual Arts

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Enjoy live printmaking, art exhibits, and music at Reproduce & Revolt Book Release Party: Art Jam and Celebration.
Wed., June 11, 6 p.m., 2008