Formed in 1999 in New York City, FAILE is a collective made up of Patrick McNeil (Edmonton, Canada, 1975) and Patrick Miller (Minneapolis, USA, 1976). Their politically engaged work blends graphic novel aesthetics, Asian cultural motifs, Pop Art, and typography, creating layered compositions that critique consumerism and deliver both subtle and overt political messages—often wrapped in deliberate ambiguity. Their major exhibitions include the Tate Modern (2008), the Brooklyn Museum, and a large-scale installation in Times Square (NYC, 2015).

The work of Shepard Fairey, aka OBEY, is the epitome of “art as dissent.” Born in Charleston in 1970, Fairey is an iconic and influential figure in contemporary American political street art. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he was a pioneer of stencil and poster art. He rose to prominence with a guerrilla marketing campaign featuring the face of French wrestler André the Giant and the slogan OBEY—which soon became his signature logo. His artistic language explores themes of social control and propaganda, drawing on the iconography of early 20th-century socialist and Soviet Constructivism. Featured in numerous major museums worldwide, he gained international acclaim with his Hope and Change posters in support of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign (uncommissioned by the campaign itself).

Sten & Lex are a pioneering Italian artist duo based in Rome since 2001, known as trailblazers of stencil art in public space. Their early figurative works celebrated both timeless icons and everyday people. They developed a distinctive contemporary engraving technique through what they call the “stencil poster,” for which they are widely recognized. They participated in Banksy’s Cans Festival in 2008, and their murals can now be found in major cities around the world.