Munira Ahmed, a 32-year-old freelancer from Queens, has become the face of resistance to the Trump administration, her image carried by thousands of protesters in Saturday’s massed marches in opposition to the newly elected president.
The image, which shows the Bangladeshi American wearing a striking look of defiance and a hijab made from the Stars and Stripes, is by Shepard Fairey , an artist best known for his portrait of Barack Obama that came to symbolise the 44th president’s original message of hope.
“It’s about saying, ‘I am American just as you are,’” Ahmed told the Guardian after returning to New York from Washington, where she took part in Saturday’s huge protest march. “I am American and I am Muslim, and I am very proud of both.”
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Fairey’s work is part of a group project coordinated by the Amplifier Foundation under the title We the People. Work by Ernesto Yerena and Jessica Sabogal also features.
Photo | Ridwan Adhami, Shepard Fairey
Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary street artist, graphic designer, activist, illustrator and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” (…OBEY…) sticker campaign while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), which appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News.
He became widely known during the 2008 U.S. presidential election for his Barack Obama “Hope” poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston has described one the best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. (Wikipedia).
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