What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “180 South”?

Artist Statement

18 x 24? Screen Print, $50, Signed by Shepard Fairey and Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia), Edition of 450 180 Southis a new film retracing the 1968 journey of Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia) and Doug Tompkins (founder of North Face) across South America. The film is told through the eyes of climber/surfer/writer Jeff Johnson over a six-month trek, conveying a unique voice for environmentalism based on experience rather than pie charts and idealism.180 South and OBEY have teamed up to raise awareness about the destruction of one of the last remaining wild places on earth. The area, in Chile’s Patagonia region, is being threatened by relentless development, including the Hidro Aysen dam proposal. This includes the construction of five dams on the Pascua and the Baker River. By creating these dams, irreversible damage would occur to the rivers and the ecosystems. In addition to the damming, a massive forest would be clear-cut for electrical transmission lines, scarring the landscape. Over 500 electrical towers would be built along the way, further threatening the wilderness. Please help us support the preservation of these untouched temperate rainforests, endangered species and the lives of local inhabitants.

Summary

180 South is an 18 x 24 inch screen print published by Obey Giant in 2010, an edition of 450 released April 16, 2010 at $50, signed by both Shepard Fairey and Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. The print supports the film 180 South, which retraces a 1968 journey across South America, and was made as part of an OBEY and 180 South partnership to raise awareness about threats to Chile's Patagonia region, including the Hidro Aysen dam proposal. It pairs Fairey's environmental advocacy with his graphic poster style, foregrounding the preservation of endangered wild rivers and rainforests.

Why It Matters

180 South is a clear example of Fairey using his art as an instrument of environmental activism rather than pure imagery. The print was created in partnership with the 180 South film project and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, who co-signs the edition, to raise awareness of the Hidro Aysen dam proposal and its threat to Chile's Patagonia region. The source details the stakes, including five proposed dams on the Pascua and Baker rivers, clear-cutting for transmission lines, and harm to endangered species and local communities, which gives the work a concrete advocacy purpose beyond decoration. The dual signature with Chouinard ties Fairey directly to a respected environmental and outdoor-industry figure, strengthening the piece's cause-driven credibility. For collectors, this is a substantive environmental statement print with documented real-world stakes, distinguishing it from his music and pattern works. It belongs to the recurring environmental strand of Fairey's catalog and connects to a broader body of climate and conservation imagery he has produced over the years. The combination of a clear cause, a notable co-signer, and Fairey's accessible graphic language makes it meaningful to collectors who value art tied to activism.

Collector Perspective

This print appeals to collectors focused on Fairey's environmental and activist work, to admirers of Patagonia and outdoor and conservation culture, and to those who value the dual signature with founder Yvon Chouinard. The cause-driven backstory gives it strong narrative appeal, and the bold graphic format displays well as a statement piece. With an edition of 450 it is relatively attainable, suiting collectors building an environmental or political wing of a Fairey collection rather than chasing only tiny editions. It pairs naturally with his other environment-and-climate works to form a thematic group. At 18 x 24 inches it is a frame-ready format that fits a collection organized around Fairey's conservation and advocacy output.

Historical Context

Released April 16, 2010, 180 South marks an explicit environmental-advocacy moment in Fairey's catalog, produced through an OBEY partnership with the 180 South film and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard. The film retraces a 1968 trek across South America by Chouinard and North Face founder Doug Tompkins, and the print campaign targeted the Hidro Aysen dam proposal threatening Chile's Patagonia rivers and rainforests. Within Fairey's arc, the work belongs to his ongoing environmental thread, which spans numerous climate and conservation prints across his career. It shows him lending his graphic platform to a specific real-world preservation effort, reinforcing the activist dimension that runs alongside his music, portrait, and pattern output during this prolific 2010 period.

FAQ

Related Works

America's Favorite (Silver)2010 · Concurrent 2010 environment-and-climate print in the same thematic series.

Moon Over Biloxi (Cream)2010 · Same-year environmental print sharing the conservation focus.

Wrong Path - Large Format (First Edition)2018 · Later environmental statement print continuing Fairey's climate advocacy thread.

Empire State Of Mind2014 · Subsequent environment-and-climate work in the same thematic family.

Arctic 50th Anniversary2010 · Concurrent 2010 conservation-related collaboration print.