Shepard Fairey, the artist behind Barack Obama’s iconic “Hope” poster, revealed a new print Thursday for Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential bid with her own all-new mantra: “Forward.”
The artist-activist and Obey clothing founder famously made former President Obama’s “Hope” poster for his 2008 run for office, and he said Thursday that the “Forward” poster was made “purely in pursuit of a better future.”
“‘We are not going back.’ These words from Kamala Harris summarize the moment we are in, and in order not to go back, we must go FORWARD,” he said. “While we have not achieved all the goals we might be seeking, we are making progress – all in the face of expanding threats and regressive political adversaries.”
Fairey continued: “But we are not going back. In fact, we have a very real opportunity to move forward. If we act, we can move forward our desire for a healthy planet, for corporate accountability, toward equality and away from racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia, for equitable access to opportunity, for full access to the medical care we want or need, for fair and just immigration policies.”
The creator claimed that although politics was “messy,” Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, represented the best chance for the country to continue moving forward.
“This art is a tool of grassroots activism for all to use non-commercially,” Fairey concluded. “I was not paid for it and will not receive any financial benefit from it. I created this work purely in pursuit of a better future. Let’s get there together!”
Fairey is also known for his poster variations of Obama’s poster that say “Change” and “Vote,” as well as the “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” sticker he designed back in 1989.
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