Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Jaws Wave”?
Artist Statement
Shepard created this image to help raise awareness and some funds for the Surfrider Foundation. He also created a fine art version of the print that will be featured in the foundation’s Art for the Oceans III Auction on Oct 9th in Los Angeles. The print edition will go on sale tomorrow, 9/29 at a random time. Edition of 450, 24 x 18, S/N, $70 and limit 1 per person/household. Print was a collaboration with photographer Tom Servais and proceeds will go towards the charity.
Summary
Jaws Wave is a 2009 Obey Giant signed and numbered screen print, released September 29, 2009 in an edition of 450 at 24 x 18 inches, with a limit of one per person. Created in collaboration with surf photographer Tom Servais, the print depicts a powerful ocean wave and was made to raise awareness and funds for the Surfrider Foundation. Fairey also produced a fine-art version for the foundation's Art for the Oceans III Auction in Los Angeles. Proceeds from the print went to the charity, tying Fairey's graphic style to ocean conservation.
Why It Matters
Jaws Wave is a clear instance of Fairey directing his print practice toward ocean conservation through a charitable partnership with the Surfrider Foundation. The collaboration with surf photographer Tom Servais gives the work a documentary, photographic source distinct from Fairey's typical iconographic or portrait imagery, translating a real wave into his graphic vocabulary. By dedicating proceeds to Surfrider and contributing a fine-art version to the foundation's Art for the Oceans III Auction, Fairey positioned the print squarely within environmental activism and marine-protection causes. For collectors, that makes Jaws Wave a meaningful entry among his environmental and collaboration works, and its surf-culture subject broadens its appeal to audiences beyond his core political base, including surfers and ocean advocates. The one-per-person purchase limit on the edition of 450 reflects an intent to spread the work widely among supporters rather than concentrate it. As a documented collaboration tied to a named photographer and a specific environmental cause, the print exemplifies how Fairey leveraged his platform for conservation fundraising during this period, making it both visually striking and mission-driven.
Collector Perspective
Jaws Wave appeals to collectors focused on Fairey's environmental and conservation-linked work, on his collaborations with photographers, and on surf and ocean culture specifically. The dramatic wave subject reads as bold and elemental, giving it strong wall presence and broad decorative appeal in coastal homes, surf shops, and nature-themed spaces. Oriented at 24 x 18, it offers a slightly different framing from his many vertical prints and pairs well with other ocean or environmental pieces. As a signed and numbered edition of 450 tied to a real charitable cause and a named collaborator, it carries narrative depth that activism-minded collectors value, while its accessible size and recognizable subject make it approachable for newer buyers.
Historical Context
Released through Obey Giant on September 29, 2009, Jaws Wave reflects Fairey's recurring use of editions to support causes, here ocean conservation via the Surfrider Foundation. The collaboration with surf photographer Tom Servais and the parallel fine-art version made for the foundation's Art for the Oceans III Auction in Los Angeles on October 9 connect the print to a specific environmental fundraising moment. Within Fairey's arc, it belongs to the stretch after his 2008 prominence when he frequently attached signed-and-numbered releases to philanthropic and environmental goals. The work demonstrates his willingness to translate a collaborator's photograph into his graphic style in service of a conservation message, situating it among his environmental and collaboration output of the late 2000s.
FAQ
What cause does Jaws Wave support?
Fairey created it to raise awareness and funds for the Surfrider Foundation, with proceeds going to the charity. He also made a fine-art version featured in the foundation's Art for the Oceans III Auction held October 9, 2009 in Los Angeles.
Who collaborated on the print?
The print was a collaboration with surf photographer Tom Servais. It translates a wave image into Fairey's graphic style and was released as a signed and numbered edition supporting ocean conservation.
What are the edition details?
Jaws Wave is a signed and numbered screen print in an edition of 450, measuring 24 x 18 inches, published by Obey Giant in 2009. It went on sale September 29, 2009 with a limit of one per person/household at $70.
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.