Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “SXSW 2008 (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24 inch Screen Print Signed Edition of 300.
Summary
SXSW 2008 is a 2008 signed screen print, 18 x 24 inches, in a first edition of 300 published by Obey Giant, released March 14, 2008. The title ties the print to the SXSW festival in Austin, an annual music, film, and culture event. The source supplies only medium, dimensions, edition size, release date, and the collaboration/pop-culture theme, with no further description of the imagery. Originally offered at $35, it is a festival-tied edition from Fairey's busy 2008 release schedule, situated among his music and collaboration prints of that year.
Why It Matters
SXSW 2008 connects Fairey's poster practice to one of the most influential music and culture festivals in the United States, reinforcing his role as a visual voice for contemporary music culture. Festival and event prints occupy a distinct niche in his catalog, functioning both as commemorative artifacts of a specific year and as collectible editions. Released in March 2008 in a signed first edition of 300, it is a contained edition that anchors to a precise time and place, the Austin festival that year. For collectors, event-dated prints like this carry an appealing specificity, marking a moment that can be pinned to the cultural calendar. The piece sits within Fairey's broad 2008 output of music and collaboration releases, the year his work reached its widest visibility. Because the source provides limited descriptive detail beyond its festival association and edition data, the print is best understood as a representative example of how Fairey lent his graphic language to live-music events, extending the Obey Giant aesthetic into the festival and concert-poster tradition while keeping editions affordable and accessible.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to music-festival memorabilia collectors, SXSW attendees and Austin-area fans, and Fairey collectors who enjoy event-dated editions. Its tie to a specific festival year gives it commemorative value, and the signed first edition of 300 keeps it a defined, contained acquisition. It fits naturally into a music-themed Fairey grouping or a collection of concert and festival posters. Because the source offers limited imagery detail, buyers will value it primarily for its festival association, edition specifics, and place within his 2008 release run rather than for a documented narrative.
Historical Context
Released March 2008, SXSW 2008 belongs to Fairey's extensive line of music- and event-tied prints, reflecting his ongoing relationship with live-music culture. The piece marks the South by Southwest festival's 2008 edition, anchoring it to a specific moment in the music-and-culture calendar. It appears within his prolific 2008 output, a year defined commercially by his Obama imagery but also full of music and collaboration releases. As a festival commemorative, it extends the Obey Giant graphic style into the concert- and event-poster tradition that has long been part of his practice.
FAQ
What are the edition details?
SXSW 2008 is a signed screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 300. It was released March 14, 2008, and originally offered at $35.
What does the title refer to?
The title ties the print to SXSW, the South by Southwest festival held annually in Austin, Texas, a major music, film, and culture event. This piece commemorates the 2008 edition.
What is known about the imagery?
The source provides only the medium, dimensions, edition size, release date, and a collaboration and pop-culture theme. It does not describe the specific imagery, so the print is best understood through its festival association and edition data.
Where does it fit in Fairey's work?
It belongs to his line of music- and event-tied prints and sits within his busy 2008 release schedule, the year his work reached its widest visibility through his Obama imagery.
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.