This screen print, “A Cracked Icon,” is a reference to one of my favorite musicians, David Bowie, and his song “Cracked Actor.” I’m fascinated by how we process fragmentation and mutation, often trying to conceive a resolved whole from disparate parts. I was first intrigued by the unlikely juxtapositions of images yielded by ripped posters on the street revealing parts of unrelated images interacting with each other along organic ripped edges. Sometimes, the serendipitous placement of a rip can make two images feel like they are meant to be in conversation. I think that our brains are looking for harmony even within obvious transgression. We are all full of contradictory impulses, and our egos often drive which things we are justifying moment to moment. Bowie was constantly exploring the ideas of ego, fame, identity, and evolution, so I think this image serves as both a pleasing visual and a provocation to consider the tension between harmony and conflict, competition and collaboration. Bowie embraced collaboration adventurously to great success, so hopefully, he’d dig this image and tribute!
-Shepard
A Cracked Icon. 24 x 36 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $95.
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