Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Ornate Pattern (Black)”?
Artist Statement
Ornate Pattern Black 18 x 18 Screen Print, Signed and Numbered Edition of 100, $35. Released on 2/12/2010
Summary
Ornate Pattern (Black) is an 18 x 18 inch screen print published by Obey Giant in 2010 as a signed and numbered edition of 100, released February 12, 2010 at $35. The Black variant is part of a two-color release (Black and Red). The work centers on Fairey's signature decorative motif: a dense, symmetrical ornamental pattern rendered in a single dominant tone. With no figurative subject, the print foregrounds rhythm, repetition, and the layered wallpaper-like texture that recurs across Fairey's pattern works. It functions as a graphic exercise in surface and symmetry rather than overt messaging, sitting within his decorative pattern output of that period.
Why It Matters
Fairey is best known for charged portraits and propaganda imagery, but his pattern works show the formal backbone underneath that iconography: the ornamental layering, mandala-like symmetry, and Art Nouveau and Arabesque influences he repeatedly grafts onto his political pieces. Ornate Pattern (Black) isolates that decorative vocabulary into a standalone object, making it a useful study piece for understanding how Fairey builds the backgrounds that frame his more famous subjects. At a small 18 x 18 format and an edition of 100, it is a relatively intimate, accessible entry in his catalog. The single-color treatment emphasizes line and density over narrative, which appeals to collectors who value the design craft over the message. As one of a paired color release, it also rewards collectors who pursue full color sets, and it connects to a broader family of pattern works released across 2007 to 2010. Its modest original price point and compact size make it approachable, while its formal clarity gives it a distinct role within a Fairey collection focused on the artist's decorative and design-driven side rather than his overt activism.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors drawn to Fairey's design and pattern work rather than his political portraits, and those who appreciate decorative, symmetrical compositions that integrate easily into a range of interiors. At 18 x 18 inches it is an easy-to-frame, versatile piece that pairs well grouped with other pattern prints or used as a quieter counterpoint to bolder portrait works. The edition of 100 makes it one of the smaller editions in this group, appealing to collectors who value relative scarcity. Color-variant collectors may pursue both the Black and Red versions to complete the pairing. It fits naturally into a collection organized around Fairey's ornamental, mandala-influenced output and his collaborations-and-pop-culture period.
Historical Context
Ornate Pattern (Black) sits within Fairey's prolific 2009 to 2010 run of Obey Giant releases, a period rich with pattern-based and decorative screen prints alongside his music and portrait collaborations. His ornamental work draws on Art Nouveau, Arabesque, and propaganda-poster framing devices, the same decorative scaffolding that surrounds figures in his better-known political pieces. Released February 12, 2010, this print belongs to a cluster of pattern works such as the Japanese Pattern, Yen Pattern, Venice Pattern Set, and Parlor Pattern Set that explore symmetry and repetition as ends in themselves. Within Fairey's arc it represents the design-craft foundation underpinning his more overtly message-driven output, showing how the decorative and the political coexist across his catalog.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Ornate Pattern (Black)?
It is a signed and numbered screen print in an edition of 100, published by Obey Giant and released on February 12, 2010 at an original price of $35.
What are its dimensions and medium?
The work is an 18 x 18 inch screen print. The square format suits the symmetrical, repeating ornamental pattern at the center of the composition.
Does it come in other colorways?
Yes. The source lists two editions, Black and Red. This record is the Black variant; collectors pursuing the full color pairing may also seek the Red version.
What does the print depict?
It features a dense, symmetrical ornamental pattern rather than a figurative subject, emphasizing decorative repetition and surface texture in a single dominant tone.
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.