Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Duality Of Humanity 1”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24 inch Screen Print Signed Edition of 450
Summary
Duality Of Humanity 1 is a 2008 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches in a signed edition of 450, priced at $35. The record provides only standard release details, describing it as an 18 x 24 inch signed screen print. It is the first in Fairey's Duality Of Humanity series, which explores tensions between conflict and peace within human nature, a theme the source associates with civil rights and justice alongside Fairey's broader pop-culture engagement.
Why It Matters
Duality Of Humanity 1 opens one of Fairey's recognizable thematic series, a multi-part body of work examining the opposing forces within human nature, the pull between violence and peace, aggression and compassion. As the first entry, it anchors a sequence that Fairey extended across several numbered prints into 2009, making it a foundational piece for collectors who pursue the full set. The series title signals Fairey's recurring meditation on conflict and justice, themes the source links to civil rights, and it reflects his habit of building interconnected works that reward collectors who track them as a group. Although the record's description is sparse, the series framing gives the print clear significance: it is the starting point of a coherent narrative arc rather than a standalone image. The signed edition of 450 at an accessible $35 made it widely attainable while retaining the appeal of a hand-signed screen print. For those building a thematic or completist Fairey collection, the first installment of a named series carries particular weight, and Duality Of Humanity 1 functions as the entry point to one of his more philosophically framed print groupings.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals most to collectors who value Fairey's serial works and the chance to assemble a complete numbered set, here the multi-part Duality Of Humanity series. As the first installment it holds anchor status, which completists prize. Its civil-rights-and-justice framing suits collectors drawn to Fairey's message-driven art, and the 18 x 24 format displays well in a sequence alongside the later numbered pieces. At a signed edition of 450 and an original $35 price, it is among the more attainable starting points for a themed grouping, making it a sensible foundation for a collection organized around Fairey's reflections on conflict and human nature.
Historical Context
Released July 19, 2008, Duality Of Humanity 1 begins a numbered series Fairey continued through additional installments into 2009. Coming during his most prolific and visible year, the series reflects his ongoing engagement with the tension between conflict and peace, a meditation the source ties to civil rights and justice. The work fits within Fairey's broader 2008 practice of pairing accessible, signed screen-print editions with socially conscious themes. Because the record offers limited descriptive detail, the print's place in his arc rests largely on its role as the first entry in a recognizable series, establishing a framework he would build on with subsequent Duality Of Humanity prints.
FAQ
What is the Duality Of Humanity series about?
The series explores the opposing forces within human nature, the tension between conflict and peace, which the record associates with civil rights and justice. Duality Of Humanity 1 is the first numbered entry, released July 19, 2008.
What is the edition size and price?
It is a signed edition of 450, priced at $35. The work is an 18 x 24 inch screen print published by Obey Giant in 2008, described in the record as an 18 x 24 inch signed screen print.
How does it relate to the other Duality prints?
It is the first in a numbered series that Fairey continued with additional installments through 2009, making it the anchor piece for collectors assembling the complete Duality Of Humanity set.
What are its dimensions and medium?
It is a screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in 2008 in a signed edition of 450 at $35. The source provides only these standard release details.
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.