Culture
Exhibition: “OBEY: Power to the Peaceful”: the art of Shepard Fairey
From 6 May to 6 September 2026, the Gallerie d’Italia – Naples will host the exhibition ‘OBEY: Power to the peaceful’, dedicated to the American artist Shepard Fairey, one of the most recognisable figures on the contemporary urban scene. Curated by Giuseppe Pizzuto and organised in collaboration with Wunderkammern, the exhibition brings together over 130 works, including iconic pieces, unique works and limited-edition creations across a variety of media.
The art of OBEY: communication, peace and social justice
The exhibition traces the artistic journey of Fairey, also known as OBEY, from the origins of his oeuvre, which began in 1989 with the sticker ‘Andre the Giant has a posse’, created whilst the artist was still a student at the Rhode Island School of Design and inspired by the French wrestler of the same name, right up to his most recent developments.
His style, which is minimalist and direct, draws inspiration from skate culture, 1990s underground graphics and the art of 20th-century propaganda, reworking these elements into a recognisable visual language that invites us to reflect on the present.
Through posters, screen prints and works on various materials, the exhibition explores some of the core themes of his work: the relationship between power and communication, the building of consensus, social inequalities and calls for justice. The image thus becomes a tool for raising awareness and encouraging participation, capable of challenging conventions and prompting people to take a stand.
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The project centres on the theme of peace, understood as an active choice and a collective responsibility. Fairey’s works, direct and graphic in style, explore the contradictions of our time – propaganda versus counter-information, justice versus inequality, denied rights versus voices of resistance – and offer a vision in which the message of peace is transformed into collective energy and possibilities for change.
Naples, a city marked by contrasts and transformations yet capable of channelling them into cultural energy, provides the ideal setting in which the artist’s work finds a natural resonance. The exhibition is an invitation to rediscover the power of art and images as tools for raising awareness, fostering participation and bringing about collective change.
Following in the footsteps of the ‘Chi sei, Napoli?’ exhibition by the French artist JR, hosted in 2025 at the Gallerie d’Italia-Napoli, street art and social themes are once again taking over the museum’s galleries to explore the many facets of reality through art. Obey’s exhibition thus offers visitors a renewed opportunity to access a space that is not merely an exhibition venue but also a place for dialogue and reflection.
Last updated 20 July 2026
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