Harris Gets Her Own 'Hope' Poster Design

Shepard Fairey says the work, 'Forward,' was created 'purely in pursuit of a better future'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 16, 2024 5:40 AM CDT
Harris Gets Her Own 'Hope' Poster Design
The poster titled "Forward."   (Shepard Fairey)

Shepard Fairey, the artist-activist behind former President Obama's iconic "Hope" poster, has created a version starring Kamala Harris. The vice president and Democratic presidential nominee is shown smiling in shades of blue and white, with bright red lips, above the word "FORWARD," the title of the portrait. "'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," Fairey said, per the Wrap. The Los Angeles-based artist, founder of Obey clothing, said the goal was to make progress even "in the face of expanding threats and regressive political adversaries."

"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," continued Fairey. He noted the portrait was created "purely in pursuit of a better future." "I was not paid for it and will not receive any financial benefit from it," he said. "This art is a tool of grassroots activism for all to use non-commercially."

"Forward" also appears in another portrait of Harris that went up around New York City last week, per HuffPost. Harris appears against the backdrop of an American flag, though the stripes appear as lightning bolts. "I was imagining the jolt of energy Harris brought to the Democratic Party when she took over," artist Jacob Thomas, who was inspired by Fairey's "Hope" portrait, told HuffPost. "In my mind I was seeing lightning strike the flag and causing the stripes to vibrate with energy." Thomas has also created posters of former President Trump, in which he appears as Josef Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and other dictators from history, under the banner "DICTATOR." (More Kamala Harris 2024 stories.)

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