ONE SMALL SEED MAGAZINE Issue #27 Digital 02 | Page 12

To work on such a specific and iconic
canvas as Hennessy Very Special, Fairey
had the privilege to dive deeply into their
visual history in Cognac. His research
brought some enlightening insights into
the brand’s iconography and its core
principles. His tireless work ethic found
its match in Hennessy, as the artist saw a
haven for like-minded craftsmen bearing
striking similarities with his own creative
process.
‘When I look at the history of Hennessy
and how the best eaux-de-vies are
saved for years and built upon, I see a
connection to the way I work as an artist.
I’ve developed, experimented, come up
with techniques I have at my disposal, the
more each new piece of art I’m able to
pull from all those techniques to achieve
what I envision. A wide variety of eaux-

de-vies have to be mixed to create the
ideal Hennessy. It’s all very analogous’.
During this voyage Fairey was given
his artistic licence, creating murals i n
seven of the ten cities Hennessy and
him travelled to being: Los Angeles,
Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Berlin,
Johannesburg and Toronto. The City of
Gold was his second to last last mural. At
night in Jozi the Mandela Bridge winks at
you with fire eyes. Melodies of street jazz
flow in unity with dancing figures. From 19
- 22 September, Shepard Fairey too was
celebrating as one of his dreams came
true…