SEAN TINER

Last month Shepard Fairey opened The Big Picture with Mark Mothersbaugh. This month, Fairey features "Too Fast To Live Too Young to Die" at the Subliminal Projects Gallery. The show features iconic art and photography from the California punk scene of the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to Fairey, the show features work by Edward Colver, Glen E. Friedman, Jenny Lens, Dave Markey, Raymond Pettibon, Jordan Schwarts, and Winston Smith.

(Shepard Fairey by Tiner ) No hanging chad here. Shepard Fairey is the visual artist of year. (Obama by Fairey) Throughout the year Fairey's iconic portrait of Obama has solidified his reputation as a prominent 21st-century artist. From having the portrait featured on the cover of Time to posted on millions of social networking profiles, Shepard's portrait of Obama has been viewed all over the world. Ironically, it was the public that previously helped Fairey rise to prominence in the art community over twenty years ago. While attending RISD in Providence, RI, Fairey started posting images of Andre the Giant around North Eastern communities. Fairey dubbed the campaign an "experiment in phenomenology." Interest in the experiment grew and soon Fairey's admirers were posting images of Andre the Gian t on billboards, walls, and behind crosswalk signs. (Andre the Giant, source: globalgraphica.com ) As more images of Andre the Giant were posted throughout the world...