Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Alva (Blue)”?
Artist Statement
Tuesday I’ll be the guest DJ on Henry Rollin’s shoe “Harmony in My Head” along with legendary skateboarder Tony Alva. The show is on LA’s indie 103.1 FM. If you are not in LA listen online at www.indie1031.fm. Expect to hear a lot of punk rock and stories about skateboarding. I can say that I may have had an insider advantage getting the gig considering that I did the indie 103.1 logo and I have done art for Rollins. It is no coincidence that Tony Alva is my co-host. Tony and I recently collaborated on a poster. The poster is my illustration of a photo of Tony from 1977 by photographer Glen E. Friedman who has captured amazing iconic moments in skateboarding, punk rock, and hip hop. Check out his site www.burningflags.com. To celebrate the release of the Alva collaboration, we will be doing a party/art opening Sat. March 8 at the Alva store at 1086 S. Fairfax. The posters as well as some fine art pieces will be available. The posters will be available online March 11. They are signed by me, Tony, and Glen
Summary
Alva (Blue) is a 2008 screen print, 18 x 24 inches, in an edition of 200 published by Obey Giant, released online March 11, 2008. This Blue variant accompanies a Red edition. The poster is Fairey's illustration of a 1977 photograph of legendary skateboarder Tony Alva taken by photographer Glen E. Friedman, created as part of an Alva collaboration. Per the source, the posters are signed by Fairey, Alva, and Friedman. The release coincided with Fairey guest DJing alongside Alva on Henry Rollins' indie 103.1 FM show and an art opening at the Alva store in Los Angeles. It is a skate-culture collaboration print honoring a pioneering figure.
Why It Matters
Alva (Blue) draws together three pillars of Fairey's cultural world, skateboarding, punk rock, and photography, in a single collaborative print. Based on Glen E. Friedman's iconic 1977 photograph of Tony Alva, a foundational figure in skateboarding, the poster honors the very subcultures that shaped Fairey's visual sensibility. The collaboration is unusually layered: per the source the prints are signed by Fairey, Alva, and Friedman, giving the Blue edition of 200 a notable triple-signature provenance and tying it to the broader Alva collaboration and Los Angeles release events. Fairey situates the project within his connections to that scene, noting his design work for indie 103.1 and Rollins. The small edition of 200 makes this colorway one of his more contained skate-culture releases. For collectors, it is a crossover object spanning street art, skateboarding history, and documentary punk photography, representing how Fairey's network and influences converge in a single piece honoring a pioneer of board culture.
Collector Perspective
This print is a strong target for collectors of skateboarding history, Tony Alva fans, and admirers of Glen E. Friedman's photography, as well as Fairey collaboration completists. The triple-signature aspect described in the source, signed by Fairey, Alva, and Friedman, adds collector appeal and a clear provenance story. With a small Blue edition of 200, it is one of his more contained skate-culture releases and pairs well with punk and skate-themed displays. Its illustrated portrait of a 1977 skate icon gives it both subcultural authenticity and graphic display presence within a broader Fairey collection.
Historical Context
Released in March 2008, Alva (Blue) reflects Fairey's deep ties to skate and punk subculture, the milieu from which his street-art practice emerged. The print is built on Glen E. Friedman's 1977 photo of Tony Alva, connecting Fairey's poster language to documentary images that captured pivotal moments in skateboarding, punk, and hip hop. Its release was woven into Los Angeles scene events, including a guest DJ appearance on Henry Rollins' indie 103.1 show and an opening at the Alva store. It sits among Fairey's many 2008 collaboration prints, illustrating how his releases were frequently embedded in live cultural happenings rather than presented purely as gallery editions.
FAQ
Who is depicted and who made the source photo?
The print depicts legendary skateboarder Tony Alva, based on a 1977 photograph by Glen E. Friedman, a photographer known for capturing iconic moments in skateboarding, punk rock, and hip hop. Fairey illustrated the photo for the Alva collaboration.
What are the edition details for the Blue variant?
Alva (Blue) is a screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 200. It was released online March 11, 2008, and a Red variant also exists.
Who signed the posters?
Per the source, the posters are signed by three people: Shepard Fairey, Tony Alva, and photographer Glen E. Friedman, giving the print a triple-signature provenance.
What events surrounded the release?
The release coincided with Fairey guest DJing alongside Tony Alva on Henry Rollins' indie 103.1 FM show and an art opening at the Alva store at 1086 S. Fairfax in Los Angeles.
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.