Video Courtesy: Obey Clothing
Jon Furlong may seem low-key, but like a courageous war photographer, he is ferociously adept at capturing art action as well as the results of the action. Jon has been honing his skills on trips and missions with me and the OBEY crew for almost ten years, even picking up an X-acto knife or spray can when needed. There is no doubt that Jon has a naturally great eye for composition and light, but these OBEY photos are phenomenal because Jon’s complete immersion in the process makes him uniquely qualified to capture significant moments and angles. My new book achieves a new level of quality and intimacy in the documentation of my art process thanks to the photography of Jon Furlong. – Shepard Fairey, 2015
Covert to Overt focuses on 2010 to the present, showing a retrospective vision of Fairey and the everlasting impact of OBEY GIANT on modern culture. Furlong’s photographs artistically capture the process of Fairey’s gallery exhibitions, street art installations, and murals, while also providing a narrative about the culture, mood, and energy that fuels the process. Cities featured include: Paris, Amsterdam, London, Copenhagen, Malaga, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, Cincinnati, and Charleston.
Jonathan Furlong (b.1981) is a Southern California native, best classified as a self-taught lifestyle and street photographer. For more than a decade, Furlong has been visually documenting the artwork, exhibitions, installations, and behind-the-scenes operations of artist Shepard Fairey and the OBEY GIANT crew. He has served as the head photographer at OBEY Clothing since 2005. Furlong is self-described as hyper-critical with an anxiety-ridden mind, constantly seeking ways to capture authentic beauty and chaos through the lens of photography. He embraces imperfections, true-to-life scenery, and candidness. To him, photography is the art of preserving moments for eternity, allowing those who experience his work to look into the past and to understand how it sets the stage for the future.
