May Day

The final exhibition before the closing of New York's seminal Deitch Projects, May Day is simultaneously a call for heightened awareness and a celebration of the rebirth embodied in revolutionary movements. May Day presents an evocative collection of paintings from one of the most important artists of our time. Portraits of advocates of the working class and oppressed define the collection. Fairey stakes the claim that artists, musicians and writers such as Joe Strummer, Jean Michel Basquiat and Cornel West all have parts to play in stimulating response to injustice. With energy and urgency befitting the title May Day, Fairey captures the radical spirit of his subjects. Says Fairey, "These people I'm portraying were all revolutionary, in one sense or another. They started out on the margins of culture and ended up changing the mainstream. When we celebrate big steps that were made in the past, it reminds us that big steps can be made in the future."