Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Hawaii Skater (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
HAWAII SKATER Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 300
Summary
Hawaii Skater (First Edition) is a 2005 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 300 at 18 x 24 inches. The work draws on skateboarding culture, a subculture closely tied to Fairey's own background, rendering its subject in his graphic, poster-derived style. It belongs to his mid-2000s run of accessible screen prints. The source provides limited descriptive detail beyond title, medium, dimensions, and edition.
Why It Matters
Hawaii Skater connects Fairey's editioned output to skateboarding, the subculture that, alongside punk and graffiti, shaped his early artistic identity and his original distribution networks. Skate culture was central to how the OBEY sticker campaign spread, making a skater-themed print more than a casual subject choice, it is a nod to the community that carried his work into the world. Released in 2005 as a 300-piece screen print at an accessible price, it gave collectors an affordable, culturally specific Fairey rooted in lifestyle and subculture rather than politics or celebrity. In a database it matters as documentation of how Fairey continued to reference skateboarding within his fine-art editions, reinforcing the link between his commercial street-art origins and his gallery practice. For collectors who came to Fairey through skate culture, the print holds particular resonance. Because the source description is brief, interpretation stays cautious, but the title firmly anchors the work in skate-culture and lifestyle themes, and the regional 'Hawaii' framing suggests a place-specific edition consistent with Fairey's practice of tying releases to locations and scenes.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who connect with Fairey through skateboarding and lifestyle subcultures rather than his political or portrait work. Its skate-culture subject and Hawaii framing give it a place-specific, community-rooted character that resonates with collectors who value the scenes behind Fairey's rise. At 18 x 24 inches it frames easily and fits within a grouping of mid-2000s Obey editions. The edition of 300 keeps it accessible. Display appeal favors collectors drawn to subculture themes, and it pairs naturally with other 2005 first-edition screen prints from the same period.
Historical Context
Hawaii Skater comes from 2005, during Fairey's steady output of 300-piece Obey Giant screen prints before his 2008 mainstream breakthrough. Its skateboarding subject ties to the subculture that, with punk and graffiti, shaped his early identity and helped spread the OBEY campaign through skate networks. The print reflects how Fairey continued to reference lifestyle and subculture within his editioned work, and its regional 'Hawaii' framing fits his practice of linking releases to specific places and scenes. It belongs to his accessible mid-2000s body of work.
FAQ
What is Hawaii Skater (First Edition)?
It is a 2005 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches in a first edition of 300. The work draws on skateboarding culture and carries a regional Hawaii framing.
What is the skateboarding connection?
Skate culture, alongside punk and graffiti, shaped Fairey's early identity and helped spread his OBEY sticker campaign. A skater-themed print nods to that community, though the source provides limited descriptive detail beyond the title, medium, dimensions, and edition.
How large is the edition and what are the specs?
It was issued as a first edition of 300 screen prints at 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in 2005 at an original price of $30. That edition size makes it one of his more available mid-2000s releases.
Who is this print for?
It appeals to collectors who relate to Fairey through skateboarding and lifestyle subculture rather than his political or portrait work, and it pairs well with other 2005 first-edition Obey screen prints.
Related Works
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is an American street artist, graphic designer, and activist, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His 1989 “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker grew into the global OBEY GIANT campaign — an ongoing experiment in propaganda, obedience, and visual culture. He reached worldwide recognition with the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, now held by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Across screen prints, stencils, murals, and collage, Fairey channels propaganda aesthetics toward themes of peace, justice, environmentalism, and civil rights. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and LACMA.