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I created this poster à la Shepard Fairey's OBEY Giant poster in order to help raise awareness for Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. His recent arrest and incarceration on 3 April 2011 has spawned an outcry from not only other artists but the international community as a whole. Little information has been released as to his detainment and it is unclear as to when he will be released.
The Chinese text 爱未来, (replacing the omnipotent "OBEY") translates in English to "Love The Future", which has been adopted as the watchword, or rallying cry in support of Weiwei's release because it is very similar to the Chinese spelling of his name 艾未未.
Niborama (Robin Cembalest, executive editor of ARTnews):
Fairey Use:A poster created by Artorical calls for the release of Ai Weiwei in the style of Shepard Fairey's Obey Giant, with a Chinese text that translates to "Love the Future."
Contacted by Niborama for comment, Fairey said the appropriation was appropriate. "I think the poster is great," he said in an email. "I wholly endorse the message and I'm proud that an homage to my work is the form it has taken. I have been following the Ai Weiwei situation sympathetically and I am a strong advocate of social justice in my own work, so I like and support the poster Andrew made."
Ai Weiwei page at the Guardian (U.K.).
"Love the Future" has legs. The incessant fearmongering and blame -- illegals! pensions! tax hikes! tax cuts! money, honey! -- drains and depresses.
Nobody ever has enough until they find themselves suddenly happy anyway.
It's in the future, too.
