In a stroke of genius, international graphic artist (from South Carolina), Shepard Fairey invents a new genre of art.  He coins the term “ChikanNOh” to describe this new artwork that draws from Mesoamerican myths and iconography, which he said, popped into his head when he was eating a maize round cake filled with meat, lettuce, cheese and tomatoes (in Hollywood).  In this new body of work Fairey attempts to unravel and support a fictitious place he calls Awshlawn (pronounced azLAN), where he will mentally dwell to contemplate this–his latest artistic break through.  Some of his ideas are to create art that turns away from the Eurocentric, because Europe is obviously overdone.  It is rumored that Art Forum Magazine will dedicate an unheard-of feature spread of 40 pages to extol this latest, ambitious and important work by the up and still climbing over us Fairey.  Pictured above, Fairey marks his newly opened art studio, which he says will be the birthplace of his latest ChikanNOh artwork venture.

By Wynona Richfield