Shepard Fairey has spent over three decades reshaping the visual landscape with his politically charged and socially conscious art. From the underground rise of his ‘Andre the Giant Has a Posse’ sticker campaign, which has evolved into the globally recognized OBEY GIANT movement, to his Smashing Pumpkins and Led Zeppelin album artwork, and iconic ‘Hope’ Obama endorsement, Fairey’s work has continually challenged authority and sparked cultural dialogue. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1970 and trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, he has exhibited at institutions such as MoMA, the Smithsonian, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. His work extends beyond the gallery, with over 50 large-scale murals worldwide, blending graphic precision with layers of street-inspired texture to address themes of power, propaganda, and resistance.

Now, Fairey brings his latest exhibition, Golden Compass, to Over the Influence gallery, Bangkok, offering a profound exploration of human resilience, balance, and self-discovery in turbulent times. The exhibition features original paintings, stencils, and screenprints on wood and metal, all set against intricately collaged backgrounds that reflect the layered complexities of contemporary society. Running until 27th April 2025, Golden Compass challenges audiences to find their own compass in a world of uncertainty, using art as a tool for reflection and action.

We had the privilege of Shepard Fairey walking us through the exhibition prior to the opening, discussing his first impressions of Bangkok, as well as the inspirations behind the Golden Compass exhibition, and the dialogue between street art and fine art.

Evan Goodfellow: This is your first time in Bangkok, how are you feeling so far?
Shepard Fairey: I love it. I’m a big fan of a blend of old and new, clean and distressed, those kinds of mash-ups excite me. I love the patterns on the sidewalks, the decorative motifs, the typography. The city has a real pulse. People are very friendly and polite, which is nice. I’ve travelled to many places in Asia – Hong Kong, Korea, Japan – and each has its own unique feel.

Evan Goodfellow: Everyone who visits Bangkok is surprised by an aspect of the city. What was the most surprising thing for you?
Shepard Fairey: The sheer size of it. We took a river boat tour last night, and I was impressed by the mix of old and new architecture. The temples and the Palace are stunning, but there’s also a lot of super cool new architecture. That building that looks like a giant Rubik’s cube with missing pieces (the MahaNakhon), I love that. It’s solid but also feels organic and a little dangerous. I like symmetry, but I also appreciate some organic chaos, like with the Disney Hall in LA. I’ve seen a few buildings here that strike that balance. The suspension bridge, for example, is beautifully designed. But since I’m a street artist, I’m really looking for their version of street funk in every city I visit. There’s a mix of Western graffiti, local tags influenced by Thai calligraphy, stencils, stickers – so much that’s idiosyncratic to Bangkok. I’ve been taking tons of photos.

“I’m really looking for their version of street funk in every city I visit.”

Evan Goodfellow: So when you visit a city, do you specifically seek out graffiti and street art?
Shepard Fairey: Always. Yesterday on the boat tour, we passed a piece by my friend Vhils from Portugal. I’ve also seen work from the 1UP crew, and tags in styles I’ve never seen before, likely influenced by Thai calligraphy. Learning about a local graffiti scene takes time, though. I won’t become fluent on this one trip, but I’ll probably meet locals who’ll give me the inside scoop. My friend Swoon has a show at the museum here, so I’m excited to check that out. It’s cool how this place attracts artists from all over the world.

Evan Goodfellow: The 1UP crew did a piece on that ghost building – the one abandoned after the economic collapse. They climbed to the very top. It is so dangerous.
Shepard Fairey: Yeah, those guys are risk-takers. That was my background, too. I climbed a lot of dangerous things when I was younger, but once I had kids, I started taming that side of myself. I had dreams of falling to my death and leaving them fatherless, which didn’t seem cool. But yeah, I get the appeal.

Evan Goodfellow: This exhibition has 112 works. How long did it take to put together?
Shepard Fairey: Almost everything here is from the last year and a half. Some of the screen prints on wood or metal are from 2021 or 2022, but all the unique pieces are from 2024.

Evan Goodfellow: Can you share the story behind the centrepiece of the exhibition, the painting featuring the woman on the beach with the parasol shading her?
Shepard Fairey: That’s a smaller version of a ten-foot-tall piece I made for the Petit Palais. It was inspired by a painting in their collection from the early 1900s – three women on a cliffside looking out over the water. I reimagined it with two women, adding an oil derrick in the distance and a warming sky. Back then, no one was thinking about climate change. Industrialisation gave people more leisure time, but they weren’t considering the consequences. I wanted to create something both seductive and provocative.

Evan Goodfellow: I love how you use old newspapers in your work.
Shepard Fairey: I collect bound volumes of newspapers from the late 1800s to the 1990s. Advertisers used to get annual bound copies to track their ads. I weave in clippings with historical relevance, things like the end of WWII, MLK’s assassination, Watergate, but not everything has to be topical. I like the idea that we’re all shaped by the media we consume, some of it consequential, some of it not.

“I collect bound volumes of newspapers from the late 1800s to the 1990s.”

Evan Goodfellow: Can you talk about your colour palette, specifically the red and black?
Shepard Fairey: Originally, I stuck to those colours because they grab attention. Over time, I’ve introduced more blues to balance the palette, and I also experimented with psychedelic colors in the early 90s, but when rave culture adopted them I shut it down because I wanted my work to stand apart from trends. I revisited those colours recently but with more sophistication – spray paint gradients and layered translucency.

Evan Goodfellow: When you first created the iconic “GIANT” sticker, did you think, “Damn, this looks amazing”?
Shepard Fairey: No, the first Andre sticker was crude – it was an inside joke among skateboard friends. I actually have the original one in my pocket here. When I saw people were intrigued by it, I refined it. That led to the more stylised ‘icon face’ design, which had better graphic design principles.

Evan Goodfellow: Do you always have a clear vision when you start a piece, or do you experiment?
Shepard Fairey: Lots of experimentation. I usually know what I want to convey but go through trial and error to get there. Some pieces, like this one inspired by a mural I did in Amsterdam, evolve as I integrate different elements. I like subverting expectations, like these Warhol-esque Coca-Cola graphics that say ‘Drink Crude Oil’.

Shepard Fairey: Golden Compass runs at Over the Influence until 27th April.