E Pluribus Venom

by Shepard Fairey

Buy new: $29.95 $19.77 Buy used: $18.74

Editorial Reviews

E Pluribus Venom collects a large body of work produced by Shepard Fairey and presented at the Jonathan Levine gallery during his massive exhibition in the summer of 2007. Serving as more than just an exhibition catalog, this book expounds upon themes presented in the show. The title E Pluribus Venom which translates Out of many, poison is derived from E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) an early motto adopted by the U.S. Government which appears on U.S. currency. The artist s thesis is that many becoming one, or a loss of power and influence of the individual in favor of homogeny is a symptom of a society in decline. E Pluribus Venom is comprised of artworks designed to question the symbols and methods of the American machine and American dream and also celebrate those who oppose blind nationalism and war. Some of Fairey s works use currency motifs or a Norman Rockwell aesthetic to employ the graphic language of the subjects they critique. Other works use a blend of Art Nouveau, hippie, and revolutionary propaganda styles to celebrate subjects advocating peace.

Customer Reviews

Obey Book Rocks, 2008-12-27
by David Robles (Pasadena, TX USA)

This book is filled awesome art work and stories. I have this book on my coffee table and always get complements on it.....

Great book, 2008-11-23
by Colin Walker (The Sconi)

Another great book by Fairey. This book takes you through the Obey campaign and the like-titled show. As reviewed on [...], the full color spreads and pictures of work in process allow a glimpse into the world of the artist. Although I prefer Supply and Demand, I would recommend this book to all Obey Giant fans.

E Pluribus Venom by Shepard Fairey, 2008-11-13
by Jay One (Düsseldorf, Germany)

This book is awesome, Shepard Fairey is a great artist. I think most of the people have seen his designs, even if they`re not knowing that they`re his. You should check it out, lot`s of pictures and designs.
Things you coulod also see on his http://obeygiant.com/ website.
Watch the book: E Pluribus Venom

E Pluribus Venom Review, 2008-10-30
by Michael Robert Degrandis

Great book. Really good collection of images and artist's thoughts on pieces. I was lucky enough to see show in person and this book is the best thing ever for any fan of Fairey or people looking to see great first hand examples of high-quality fine art as well as street art.

Rad, 2008-10-28
by JohnnyT (Orange County, CA)

I bought two copies: one to keep and one to cut up. There are so many rad pictures from Shep in this book that I knew I was going to want to make little framed pictures of them. I even thought of cutting out pictures and framing them for Christmas presents.

But enough about that -- how about the book itself? I really like the political nature of this second book. It is inspiring. I saw a show of his in LA in 2007 that had many of these art works. Since then, I have been waiting for this book to come out in print. What strikes me about Shep's art is the seemless blend on progressive politics and popular culture. It isn't too preachy (well, sometimes it is a little) and it isn't tame. The art also has the ability to penetrate deep seated hegemony -- maybe even capable of holding a mirror up to those who don't know how ugly their politics make them. We can hope.

I think Shep's art is rad in the both the hip and radical senses of that word.