Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “SSI / Mea Culpa (Red / Black)”?
Artist Statement
OBEY GIANT - SSI / MEA CULPA RED/BLK - SIGNED EDITION OF 300 I met John Goff in 1997 while I was living in San Diego. He liked my work and offered to help me screen print. I was broke so I could not afford a drying rack for the prints. John would lay the prints out to dry on the floor He would never accept money, but only asked for posters(which were virtually worthless at the time) in return for his efforts. John was easy to work with because once he discovered we both liked the Melvins, he started bringing great records over. I got all the Kraftwerk albums from John and realized that he was really into electronic music. Now, 11 years later, John’s love of electronic music collides with me owing him a favor. John has an electronic music project with his brother Will called SSI (Sonic Solutions Incorporated) and asked me to design an SSI poster. John is also an audio whiz and has been helping me re-edit some songs to DJ with. He is also going to help me engineer a rock mix CD that I will release sometime in the fall. -Shepard
Summary
SSI / Mea Culpa (Red / Black) is a 2008 screen print published by Serigraphic Systems Inc, released April 11, 2008, in a signed edition of 300. Measuring 24 by 18 inches, it was designed as a poster for SSI (Sonic Solutions Incorporated), the electronic music project of John Goff and his brother Will. In Fairey's own note, the design repays a long favor to Goff, a San Diego friend who helped him screen print in 1997 and shared his love of electronic music. The OBEY-style imagery folds money and corporate motifs into a personal music-friendship tribute.
Why It Matters
SSI / Mea Culpa stands out because the source preserves an unusually personal Fairey narrative behind it. In his own words, the print repays a debt to John Goff, a San Diego friend who in 1997 helped Fairey screen print when he was broke, accepting only then-worthless posters in return, and who introduced him to Kraftwerk and electronic music. Eleven years later, Fairey designed this poster for SSI, Goff's electronic music project with his brother Will. That backstory turns a commercial-looking OBEY graphic into a documented record of friendship and the music influences that shaped Fairey's aesthetic. The theme signals of money and corporate imagery connect it to his recurring consumerism-and-power critique, while the music project subject ties it to his deep engagement with counterculture and sound. With a stated signed edition of 300, it is a moderate edition rather than a rarity. For collectors, its appeal is the combination of a candid first-person story, a music-poster function, and OBEY iconography, all anchored to a specific April 2008 release. It is a smaller, more niche piece in Fairey's catalog, but one with strong narrative documentation directly from the artist.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who value Fairey's music connections and the personal stories behind his work as much as the imagery itself. The artist's own note about John Goff, electronic music, and a repaid 1997 favor gives the piece a documented narrative that rewards collectors who read and display the backstory. At 24 by 18 inches it fits a music-themed or OBEY-iconography wall and pairs naturally with his other music-project and band prints. The signed edition of 300 places it in an accessible middle tier, appealing to collectors who want a signed Fairey screen print without a top-tier price profile. It is a good fit for those assembling a music-and-counterculture grouping or a collection that highlights Fairey's collaborations with friends and musicians rather than his most iconic political images.
Historical Context
This print fits Fairey's late-2000s output, when his OBEY operation regularly produced music-related posters and band collaborations alongside his political work. The source dates it to April 11, 2008, and Fairey's accompanying note roots it in a friendship dating to 1997 in San Diego, when he was broke and relied on John Goff's help to screen print. That recollection underscores how central screen printing and music were to his formative years, including his discovery of Kraftwerk and electronic music through Goff. Designing the SSI poster a decade later reflects his continued habit of using his platform to support friends and music projects. Within his arc, the piece illustrates the intersection of his graphic practice, his DJ and music interests, and his consumerism-and-power visual language, making it a personal footnote within the larger OBEY enterprise rather than a landmark political release.
FAQ
What is SSI and why did Fairey design this?
According to Fairey's note, SSI (Sonic Solutions Incorporated) is the electronic music project of his friend John Goff and Goff's brother Will. Fairey designed the poster to repay a favor to Goff, who had helped him screen print in 1997 and shared his love of electronic music.
What is the edition size?
The source describes it as a signed edition of 300. This Red/Black colorway is one of several listed editions, which also include a Black version and a Red/Blue version, all published by Serigraphic Systems Inc in 2008.
What are the dimensions and medium?
It is a screen print measuring 24 by 18 inches, released April 11, 2008. These details come directly from the record, which lists the medium as screen print and a published price of 50.
What does the imagery reference?
The record's theme signals point to OBEY, money, and corporate motifs, tying the design to Fairey's consumerism-and-power visual language. The personal context is Fairey's friendship with John Goff and their shared interest in electronic music.
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.