Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Obey X Cope2 x Cooper (First edition)”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24? Screen Print Signed by Shepard Fairey, COPE and Martha Cooper. Numbered Edition of 450. $60, Limit 1 per person/household Release Date: 4/21/11
Summary
Obey X Cope2 x Cooper is a 2011 collaborative screen print published by Obey Giant, released April 21, 2011 in a signed and numbered first edition of 450 at 24 x 18 inches, priced at $60. Per the source, it is signed by Shepard Fairey, graffiti writer COPE2, and photographer Martha Cooper, uniting three figures across street art, graffiti, and documentary photography. The work reflects Fairey's collaborative practice and his connection to graffiti culture, with the source also noting consumerism-and-power undertones in its imagery.
Why It Matters
This print stands out as a genuine three-way collaboration linking Shepard Fairey with COPE2, a legendary New York graffiti writer, and Martha Cooper, the photographer whose images helped document and define hip-hop-era street culture. Triple-signed editions are comparatively uncommon in Fairey's catalog, and the combination of names gives this piece cross-collector appeal that reaches beyond Fairey's usual audience into graffiti and photography collecting communities. It situates Fairey within a lineage of street and graffiti art he openly reveres, and the involvement of Cooper, whose Subway Art photography is foundational to the genre, adds documentary and historical weight. The source's note of consumerism-and-power themes suggests the imagery carries Fairey's familiar critique of commercial messaging, here filtered through a graffiti-collaboration lens. At a $60 release price and an edition of 450, it remained accessible despite the marquee collaborators. For collectors, the value is in the convergence: three signatures, three disciplines, and a single 2011 object that documents a meaningful cross-generational meeting of street-art figures. That combination makes it more distinctive than a typical single-artist Fairey edition.
Collector Perspective
This draws collectors of Fairey, graffiti art, and street-photography alike, thanks to its three named signatories: Fairey, COPE2, and Martha Cooper. Cross-disciplinary collectors and those who prize collaborative or multi-signed editions will find it especially desirable. The 24 x 18 inch format frames well and anchors a wall that mixes street-art and graffiti pieces. As a signed and numbered edition of 450 originally priced at $60, it sits at an accessible level while offering the added cachet of its collaborators. It fits collections organized around collaborations, graffiti culture, or Fairey's network of fellow artists, and rewards buyers who value the story behind a piece as much as the image.
Historical Context
Obey X Cope2 x Cooper reflects Fairey's deep ties to graffiti and street-art culture, communities he has long credited as foundational to his own work. COPE2 is a veteran Bronx graffiti writer, and Martha Cooper is among the most important documentary photographers of early hip-hop and subway-graffiti culture, making this 2011 collaboration a meeting point of three generations and disciplines. Released within Fairey's busy 2011 calendar, it represents the collaborative strand of his practice, where he co-creates editions with peers and mentors rather than working solo. The piece underscores how, by the early 2010s, Fairey functioned as a connector within the broader street-art world, leveraging his print platform to honor and partner with figures who shaped the culture he emerged from.
FAQ
Who signed the Obey X Cope2 x Cooper print?
According to the source, the print is signed by Shepard Fairey, graffiti writer COPE, and photographer Martha Cooper. It is a numbered edition of 450, making it a three-way collaborative work uniting street art, graffiti, and documentary photography in a single signed edition.
When was it released and at what price?
It was published by Obey Giant and released on April 21, 2011, at a price of $60 with a limit of one per person or household. The print measures 24 x 18 inches and was issued as a signed and numbered first edition of 450.
What makes this collaboration notable?
It brings together three figures from distinct corners of street culture: Fairey, the graffiti writer COPE, and photographer Martha Cooper. Triple-signed collaborative editions are relatively uncommon, giving the print appeal across Fairey, graffiti, and photography collecting audiences.
What themes does the print engage?
The source identifies collaboration and pop culture as primary, with consumerism-and-power as a secondary theme. This suggests the imagery carries Fairey's recurring critique of commercial messaging, here expressed through a graffiti-collaboration framework at 24 x 18 inches.
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.