Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Computerman”?
Artist Statement
This print is 1 of 4 released at the Subliminal Projects Gallery for "Art Is Not Peace But War" show on April 5, 2008. There were a limited number of matching sets sold by the gallery. The prints are from photographs taken by Sybille Prou (Blek's wife) of his work on the streets. The prints are signed by Blek le Rat, Sybille Prou, and Shepard Fairey.
Summary
Computerman is a 2008 screen print released April 5, 2008 by Subliminal Projects for the "Art Is Not Peace But War" show. Measuring 18 by 24 inches in a First Edition of 100, it is one of four prints made from photographs of Blek le Rat's street work taken by Sybille Prou. The print is signed by Blek le Rat, Sybille Prou, and Shepard Fairey. It preserves a Blek le Rat street stencil as a three-way-signed gallery edition, carrying the peace and anti-war themes that frame the exhibition and the wider collaboration.
Why It Matters
Computerman is part of a documented collaboration between stencil pioneer Blek le Rat and Shepard Fairey, released through Fairey's Subliminal Projects gallery. The source confirms it as one of four prints made from Sybille Prou's photographs of Blek's street work and signed by all three collaborators, lending it provenance and a cross-artist story that solo Fairey prints lack. The image derives from an actual street stencil, preserving Blek's guerrilla practice in collectible form, while Fairey's publishing role amplifies it for a wider audience. With a stated First Edition of only 100, it sits in the scarcer tier of this release. For collectors, the value lies in a piece that connects European stencil tradition with American street art, anchored to a specific dated 2008 exhibition titled "Art Is Not Peace But War." The peace and anti-war framing situates it within Fairey's ongoing use of imagery for social commentary, while the triple signature marks it as a collaborative object rather than a standalone graphic. As one of a matching four-print set, it also rewards collectors assembling the full group, and its small edition plus clear exhibition tie give it firmer historical anchoring than many open-themed prints.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors interested in street art history and authored collaborations rather than Fairey's most familiar icons. The documented three-way signature of Blek le Rat, Sybille Prou, and Shepard Fairey makes it attractive to provenance-focused buyers and to anyone building a stencil-lineage collection. At 18 by 24 inches it displays well alone or beside the other three prints from the same April 5, 2008 show, which draws collectors chasing the complete matching set. The First Edition of 100 favors those who prefer smaller editions with a documented exhibition story. It fits a peace-and-anti-war or collaboration-themed grouping and rewards owners who value the preservation of a fleeting street stencil as a signed, dated gallery edition.
Historical Context
This print stems from Fairey's late-2000s gallery program at Subliminal Projects in Los Angeles, which hosted exhibitions and collaborative releases. The source ties it to the "Art Is Not Peace But War" show on April 5, 2008, as one of four prints drawn from Sybille Prou's photographs of Blek le Rat's street work. Blek le Rat is a foundational stencil street artist, and this set documents an exchange between him and Fairey's OBEY operation. Within Fairey's arc, the piece reflects his role as a publisher and curator amplifying peers, not only as a solo image-maker. The peace and anti-war framing aligns with his broader practice of using accessible art for social messaging during this period, while the triple-signed, exhibition-specific format distinguishes it from his core iconographic series.
FAQ
What is the origin of the image?
According to the source, the print comes from photographs taken by Sybille Prou, Blek le Rat's wife, of his street work. It is one of four such prints released at Subliminal Projects, translating Blek's street stencils into signed gallery editions.
Who signed this print?
The record states it is signed by Blek le Rat, Sybille Prou, and Shepard Fairey, reflecting its three-artist collaborative origin and adding documented provenance for collectors.
What is the edition size?
The source lists a First Edition of 100, published by Subliminal Projects in 2008. An HPM version is also noted among the editions, but this listing refers to the screen-print First Edition of 100.
What show and date is it from?
It was released at the Subliminal Projects Gallery for the "Art Is Not Peace But War" show on April 5, 2008. A limited number of matching sets of all four prints were sold by the gallery.
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.