It's been hard to avoid Shepard Fairey's iconic HOPE poster featuring Barack Obama drawn up in red and blues. To many, the striking image has become synonymous with Obama's presidential campaign. Right now in our art gallery, we're featuring a collection of experimental Obama posters we've been printing for the better part of 2008 in our studio. We were fortunate enough to have a visit from Minneapolis' Mayor R.T. Rybak, who dropped by to see the exhibit and was blown away by all of the creative energy being focused on Obama. I mentioned to him that I had never seen anything like this for any politician in my lifetime. Mayor Rybak then made a reference to the solidarity posters from the 1960s and '70s. The Vietnam era was the last time politics and art had clashed in such an explosive and noteable way. During this time, dozens, if not hundreds, of posters were being designed and printed by a Cuban political group dedicated to defending human rights and fighting globalization. The group, known as OSPAAAL (Organization of Solidarity with the People of Asia, Africa, and Latin America) produced some of the most striking and well-designed political posters, and I'll be sharing them with you over the course of this week. Please enjoy!
designed by Helena Seranno, 1982
Day of Solidarity with the People of Japan
designed by Guillermo Menéndez, 1969
Day of Solidarity with the People of Laos
Jesus Forjans, 196?
Many more to come! Stay tuned!
oh man....
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