Shepard Fairey took a beating during a recent trip to Copenhagen. Literally. While in town for "Your Ad Here," ashow of his artwork at the city's V1 gallery, he and his associate Romeo Trinidad were assaulted by four men after deejaying the after-party for the show's opening at the Kodboderne 18 nightclub. The famous street artist was left with a bruised rib and a black eye. According to Fairey's account of the incident, one young man denounced him as "Obama illuminati" and ordered him to "go back to America."

The specific motivations behind the attack are not clear, but seem to beconnected to ire stirred up by one of the public murals made to accompany his show. Fairey decided to paint seven murals while inthe city, the first and most controversial being sited on a 70-foot wall above the former site of the Ungdomshuset ("Youth House") atJagtvej 69, an anarchist hang-out that had been demolished by its new owners in 2007 after being sold by the city, prompting much anger, demonstration, and clashes with the police.

Fairey's mural featured a dove and the word "Peace" over the number "69." This message, apparently, didn't sit well with members of the anarchist community still bitter over the loss of the Ungdomshuset, whose slogan since the demolition has been, "Nothing Forgotten, Nothing Forgiven." Matters were aggravated by a local newspaper erroneously reporting that the mural was commissioned by the city government. Fairey faced accusations that his "Peace" mural was a government-sponsored attempt to whitewash the still-live conflict, as well as insinuations that he was using the controversial site to promote his commercial art.

After it was completed, the mural was hit by vandals who scrawled the words, "No peace, go home yankee hipster." (Reflecting on this graffiti on his blog, Fairey writes, "Though I was flattered by the acknowledgment of my incredible fashion sense bordering on annoying obsession, I was puzzled by the negativity.") Alarmed, the artist met with members of the displaced Ungdomshuset collective, putting out a joint press release, correcting the misinformation, and vowing to cooperate on making a mural that reflectedthe objections to his original design.

As for the subsequent nightclub attack and beating at the August 5 party, Fairey describes it as "an ambush, not a random act." However, the artist refuses to see a direct connection between the mural controversy and the assault: "I don't think the attackers had any connection to the Youth House other than using the story as an excuse to attack me."

The day after the incident, Fairey met with members of the RaxArts collective, who are affiliated with the Ungdomshuset community, about the collaboration on the Jagtvej 69 mural. The group added images of riot police and the "Nothing Forgotten, Nothing Forgiven" slogan, with Fairey's blessing.

These words seem to be apt in more than one sense: In his August 12 blog entry, Fairey notes, "things were peaceful for a few days, but the muralwas fire extinguisher bombed last night."

To see images of Shepard Fairey at work in Copenhagen, click on the video below: