It’s long overdue that we feature Shepard Fairey here on Urban Art Monster. He is easily one of the most popular urban/street artists around and after the creation of his Barack Obama “Hope” Poster, he is practically a household name.

Recently, Fairey released a print featuring Cope2 and Martha Cooper which sold out within minutes of being posted on ObeyGiant.com. The print was a 18” x 24″ Screen Print which was signed by Shepard Fairey, COPE and Martha Cooper. The prints were a numbered edition of 450 and like most of the prints on Obey Giant, the prints were limited to 1 per household.

If you still want to buy an Obey X Cope2 X Cooper prints, it may not be totally impossible (as long as you’re willing to pay out of your ass) on ebay.

Amidst an Academy Award Nomination for the street art documentary, “Exit Through The Gift Shop” and a best selling coffe-table book, “Wall and Piece,” the faceless urban artist Banksy has underground followers wondering whether Banksy has “gone Hollywood.”

Several new Banksy pieces have popped up in and around Hollywood, California just a couple of weeks before the 2011 Oscars where, “Exit Through The Gift Shop” is expected to win the statute in the category of Best Documentary. The new pieces that have appeared in the upscale California area have again sparked the never ending discussion of whether Banksy’s creations are the epitome of subversive, public art or just plain vandalism.

There is no doubt that the new pieces which have appeared in Hollywood are just as unique and communicate the same level of social commentary as all of his past work. One piece depicts a child soldier standing in a child-like, crayon garden while shooting an over-sized gun. Upon closer inspection you see that the ammunition in the machine gun is actually crayons. His other piece depicts Charlie Brown pouring a tank of gasoline on the ground while smoking a cigarrette. At first, the Charlie Brown piece may not seem to work as well with it’s environment as past Banksy pieces, but the piece takes on new context once you know it was created on the side of a burned down building.

However, the never ending question of whether Banksy’s creations should be considered fine art or just vandalism has given way to an entirely new question, “has Banksy gone commercial?” This isn’t Banksy’s first trip to Hollywood, California. Back in 2007, he held a gallery exhibition where buyers included celebrities like Bradd Pitt and Angelina Jolie among others. The show was said to be extremely lucrative for the artist and since then, Banksy’s art has only grown in popularity.

His latest trip to Hollywood also comes with a storm of criticism from underground art fans who say Banksy has “sold out.” It just so happens that the Child Soldier piece was done on the side of an Urban Outfitters clothing store. The same store sells Banksy’s best selling coffee-table book, “Wall and Piece.” Coincidentally, it is also the only Banksy piece in Hollywood that hasn’t been removed or covered up.

You can check out tons of Banksy art and other west coast street artists on Melrose and Fairfax.

This film brings up an interesting question, “What is street art worth?” An original art piece by Banksy can sell for tens of thousands, if not millions of dollars. However, as you’ll see in this trailer, a torn piece of paper that isn’t authenticated isn’t as impressive as a Banksy gallery piece.

There’s no doubt that Invader’s (also known as Space Invader) popularity has skyrocketed after the release of “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” However, this French artist is by no means new to the Urban Art scene. Born in 1969, Invader has been using small colored tiles to create mosaics of the Tomohiro Nishikado designed, “Space Invaders” video game since 1998.

Invader’s “Invasion” began in Paris, France and has spread to over 31 cities around the world. He is known for choosing locations for his mosaics that are both highly visible, yet inconspicuous. Invader made a visit to Miami during Art Basel 2010 and although his “Invasion” hasn’t been documented on his website, there is no doubt he was there.

However, as you can see from the last photo in the gallery, the “Invasion” in Miami Beach is quickly fading. I joked with friends on the phone about taking down the Space Invader Mosaic under the Alton Road bridge and keeping it for myself but it seems that someone beat me to it. Looking at the way it was taken down, two things seem pretty obvious. One, the piece wasn’t taken down by the city or else they would’ve cleaned up every tile. Two, whoever took down this Invader mosaic didn’t just go through a tough time to take it down (needing at least a chisel and ladder) but he or she also destroyed the piece in the process.

Space Invader does sell authentic Invader Mosaics in his Space Shop. They usually go for around 200 Euro (300 Euro signed) and sell out fast.

Kaws is a legend in the urban art scene. All of his pieces are extremely limited and sell out at the blink of an eye. You can always find his art and toys on Ebay.com, but if you want the best deal on an original Kaws toy, visit his site at www.KawsOne.com

Thanks for visiting Urban Art Monster! If you’re seeing this page then it probably means that Urban Art Monster is only in its infancy and may not have much to see at this point. Don’t worry, the creators of UAM are heartless savages that eat and breathe art. They’ll have this place filled with art and poetry in no time.