Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Mandala Ornament 1 (Holiday Edition)”?
Artist Statement
Mandala Ornament (Holiday). 24H x 18W inches. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey in 2010. Numbered edition of 450.
Summary
Mandala Ornament 1 (Holiday Edition) is a 2010 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 24 inches high by 18 inches wide. Printed on 80# cream Speckletone paper, it was signed by Shepard Fairey in 2010 and issued as a numbered edition of 450. The image is an ornamental mandala design, part of a release that appeared in several variants including Black, Cream, Holiday Edition, and large-format versions. The symmetrical, radiating mandala form reflects Fairey's interest in decorative pattern and floral motifs, translating ornamental symmetry into his flat, graphic screen-print vocabulary.
Why It Matters
Mandala Ornament 1 sits squarely in the decorative, pattern-driven side of Shepard Fairey's catalog, where ornamental symmetry and floral symbolism provide a counterpoint to his political portraiture. The mandala form, a radiating, balanced pattern, lets Fairey foreground pure design: line, repetition, and centered composition rather than message. Released as a Holiday Edition within a family of variants (Black, Cream, large-format), it shows how Fairey reworks a single motif across paper stocks and formats to serve different collector tiers. The confirmed details, signed in 2010, edition of 450, printed on cream Speckletone, give it solid provenance for buyers. Within his body of work, ornamental mandalas connect to the broader floral and pattern thread that recurs across his releases, demonstrating that the OBEY brand is built as much on decorative craft as on slogans. For collectors, this is an accessible, frame-ready piece whose appeal is aesthetic and design-led, and its multi-variant release makes the Holiday Edition a specific, identifiable point within the set.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who favor Fairey's decorative and floral output over his political imagery, and to buyers seeking a graphically balanced, symmetrical work that displays well in a range of interiors. The mandala form is broadly approachable, making it a strong entry piece for newer collectors as well as a satisfying variant chase for completists tracking the full Black, Cream, Holiday, and large-format set. Signed in 2010 with a numbered edition of 450 on cream Speckletone paper, it offers clear provenance. It fits naturally within a floral and ornamental-pattern grouping alongside Fairey's other vine, lotus, and decorative works.
Historical Context
Released in December 2010, Mandala Ornament 1 belongs to the decorative, pattern-focused thread Fairey developed alongside his political prints. The mandala and floral-ornament motifs reflect his long-running absorption of decorative traditions, from Art Nouveau line to Eastern ornamental symmetry, recast in his flat screen-print style. Issued across multiple editions and a large-format version, it illustrates Fairey's practice of expanding a single design into a family of variants for different audiences. Within his arc this work represents craft and ornament rather than activism, and its Holiday Edition timing marks it as a seasonal release within his prolific 2010 output of decorative screen prints.
FAQ
Is this print signed?
Yes. The record states it was signed by Shepard Fairey in 2010. It is a numbered screen print in an edition of 450, printed on 80# cream Speckletone paper and published by Obey Giant.
What are its dimensions and paper?
It measures 24 inches high by 18 inches wide and is screen printed on 80# cream Speckletone paper. These details are confirmed directly in the record's description.
What editions exist?
The Mandala Ornament 1 design was issued in several variants: Black, Cream, Holiday Edition, Large Format - Black, and Large Format - Cream. This listing is the Holiday Edition from 2010.
What is the imagery?
The print depicts an ornamental mandala, a symmetrical radiating pattern. It reflects Fairey's decorative, floral, and pattern-based design work rather than his political portraiture.
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.