E Pluribus Venom (Hardcover)

~ Shepard Fairey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

E Pluribus Venom highlights many of his common themes, including the antiwar posters Greetings From Iraq: Enjoy a Cheap Holiday in Other People s Misery and Obey Bayonets, which combines silhouetted bayonets (borrowed from a well-known British World War I poster) with a peace sign in a flower collaged on top. Many of Fairey s images overtly and obliquely address war and peace, the environment and the economy. But this collection includes something unique to his oeuvre immense murals that co-opt the classic filigree motif of stock certificates and American currency. Here we find two installations juxtaposed, Two Sides of Capitalism: Good and Two Sides of Capitalism: Bad, each bearing political slogans. (One reads Obedience Is the Most Valuable Currency and In Lesser Gods We Trust ; the other reads Power to the People. Guess which one is good.) The funniest and most stinging piece in the collection is Proud Parents. With the slogan U.S. Treasury: Bringing Dreams to Life, it shows a 1950s-style mom and dad holding their newborn a shiny baby bomb. Fairey is certainly one vandal who has made good. --Steven Heller, New York Times, 12/7/08

Product Description

E Pluribus Venom collects a large body of work produced by Shepard Fairey and presented at the Jonathan Levine gallery during his massive exhibition in the summer of 2007. Serving as more than just an exhibition catalog, this book expounds upon themes presented in the show. The title E Pluribus Venom which translates Out of many, poison is derived from E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) an early motto adopted by the U.S. Government which appears on U.S. currency. The artist s thesis is that many becoming one, or a loss of power and influence of the individual in favor of homogeny is a symptom of a society in decline. E Pluribus Venom is comprised of artworks designed to question the symbols and methods of the American machine and American dream and also celebrate those who oppose blind nationalism and war. Some of Fairey s works use currency motifs or a Norman Rockwell aesthetic to employ the graphic language of the subjects they critique. Other works use a blend of Art Nouveau, hippie, and revolutionary propaganda styles to celebrate subjects advocating peace.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Gingko Press; 1st edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584232951
• ISBN-13: 978-1584232957
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,103 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exhibition catalog, October 7, 2008

By	D. A. MARTINEZ (Madrid, SPAIN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the typical OBEY stuff: nice design and very good edition, nice paper etc, just like the other red book from Obey.
Is focused on a show he did some time ago and contains mainly pics from that canvases, some street art he did for promo and pics from the opening.
So, if you like the Obey stuff, you'll like this one. But if this is your first book from Obey, you can get almost for the same price "Obey: Supply & Demand : The Art of Shepard Fairey" with older designs but with much more content, history etc.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Fairey, August 16, 2009

By	W. Rosen "chickendog" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection contains all the artwork produced for his E Pluribus Venom exhibition in New York and is filled with wonderful Shepard Fairey artwork. This paired with Supply & Demand present the complete Shepard Fairey output to date. Do yourself a favor and make sure you get both books for your collection.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best dollar i have read!, October 20, 2008

By	Albert schweitzer (florida) - See all my reviews

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This is an amazing book with some of Shepard's most greatest art! The stories are also very entertaining and inspiring. Beware for strong cravings to climb up billboards and to spread art on every white wall in your city! all around it is a superb book to have. It is definitely a book all people should have to open their eyes to what authentic art is with no pretense.