This "Radical Cat" image, which I get requests for constantly, was originally made for a cat-themed art show a few years back. Since "cat video" is a euphemism for the dumbest, lowest-common-denominator content that can be found on the internet, I decided to try to tie my particular cat image to something meaningful to me in a playful way. I've long been a fan of the activism of the Black Panthers, and I thought I'd use another euphemism, "black cats", meaning hip black folks in 60s/70s vernacular, to point to the fact that the Black Panthers were vilified and targeted by J. Edgar Hoover and the F.B.I. for being "radical" and a domestic terror threat (supposedly). It's the same bullshit the D.O.J. under Trump is trying to use against anti-fascists and other protesters… don't fall for it! If you don't know about Hoover's mission to destroy the Panthers, look it up. I'd recommend Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale's book "Seize the Time." And for those of you who are just into feline black cats, you are cool by me too, and a portion of the proceeds from this print will go to the ASPCA for the work they do to find homes for cats and dogs. Stay radical!
-Shepard
PRINT DETAILS: Radical Cat. 20" H x 16" W (a standard frame size) Offset on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Open Edition (not numbered). $30
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