PCP Press Publication Catalogue
PCP PRESS
1996–2026
Book cover for THE PHILOSOPHY OF OBEY: THE FORMATIVE YEARS: 1989 — 2008

THE PHILOSOPHY OF OBEY: THE FORMATIVE YEARS: 1989 — 2008

AUTHOR / EDITOR / CONTRIBUTOR:
Sarah Jaye Williams

Description

“The Philosophy of Obey is one of the fundamental texts of 21st Century aesthetics - bold, candid, puzzling and remarkable in its power to stir the imagination of philosophers and artists alike.”

Arguably one of the most compelling works of philosophy and art written in the twentieth-first century, Philosophy of Obey is the only artistic -- philosophical work that Obey has published during its campaign. Written in short, carefully numbered sentences of extremely revealing candor, it will capture the imagination of a generation of street artists and philosophers. For Obey, discourse is something we use to examine reality which is in itself both elusive and unobtainable. Obey famously summarized this book in the following words: “I aim to bring something new to every artwork.” The work is prefaced by Sarah Jaye Williams’s introduction to the first edition.

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PUBLISHER:
PCP Press
DATE:
2012-04-01
PAGE COUNT / PAGES:
119.0
DIMENSIONS:
5 x 8 inches
FORMAT:
Paperback
LANGUAGE:
English
ISBN-13:
9798353361251.0

Full Summary

The Philosophy Of Obey: The Formative Years presents Sarah Jaye Williams’s introduction to Obey as a philosophical and artistic problem, followed by a long sequence of numbered statements on street art, imagery, public space, propaganda, capitalism, free expression, skateboarding, politics, and visual culture. Conceived and compiled by LG Williams and edited by Julia Friedman, the volume frames Obey as an inquiry into how images produce meaning, how public imagery circulates, and how street art operates between art, politics, advertising, and social response.

The introductory essay treats Obey through the logic of imagery, perception, symbols, meaning, street art, political messages, and artistic truth. The numbered sequence then shifts into directive and aphoristic statements about stickers, public reaction, ambiguity, free speech, corporations, public property, capitalism, DIY ethics, underground circulation, skate culture, Los Angeles, cultural work, and the tension between integrity and commercial opportunity.

Contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Other Essential Volumes By PCP Press
  3. Copyright And Publication Data
  4. Introduction: Sarah Jaye Williams
  5. The Philosophy Of Obey
  6. Numbered Statements On Obey, Street Art, Public Space, Propaganda, Capitalism, Skateboarding, Politics, And Visual Culture

Essay Summaries / Chapter Summaries

References / Press / Related Materials

NAMED ARTISTS / FIGURES:
Sarah Jaye Williams; LG Williams; Julia Friedman; Shepard Fairey; Obey; Raymond Pettibon; Dave Hickey; E.H. Gombrich; Wayne Thiebaud; Wally Hedrick
INSTITUTIONS / VENUES:
PCP Press; Obey; Editions du Pirates
KEYWORDS:
Obey; Shepard Fairey; street art; public space; propaganda; visual culture; political art; capitalism; skateboarding; DIY ethics; free expression; imagery; aesthetics