Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Dance Floor Riot Box Set”?
Artist Statement
"Long before I knew about art galleries or even street art, I was excited about album cover art, if only because it was the visual counterpart to the music on the records I loved. Album covers conjured a euphoric association with the listening experience. Most of my earliest home-made tee shirts were stencils based on punk album covers… No matter how much I love art, or try to convince myself of its relevance in society, the fact remains that music is a lot cooler and way more able to reach people's hearts and minds… but I'm a populist and I look at it this way: I may not play an instrument, but I'm gonna rock it hard as nails anyway. With my art I try to capture the same energy and spirit that makes music so powerful and democratic. REVOLUTIONS is a celebration of all the great music and accompanying art that has inspired me over the years." – Shepard Two box sets were created for the REVOLUTIONS show which ended in April 2011. On Tuesday June 28 we are releasing the Dance Floor Riot Box Set and on Wednesday June 29 we are releasing the Party at the Moontower Box Set for $950 each. If you purchase both sets we will send you matching numbers and ship them together (and refund a portion of your shipping charges). We love our fans! Each set is a limited edition of 150 and includes 36 signed and numbered screen prints, a stencil, a sticker sheet of 9 stickers, and a certificate of authentication.
Summary
Dance Floor Riot Box Set is a 2011 Shepard Fairey portfolio published by Obey Giant in a limited edition of 150, released June 28, 2011 at $950. Each 12 x 12 inch box set contains 36 signed and numbered screen prints, a stencil, a sticker sheet of nine stickers, and a certificate of authentication. Created for Fairey's REVOLUTIONS exhibition, which ended in April 2011, the set celebrates the album-cover art and music that shaped his visual sensibility. In an accompanying statement, Fairey describes music as a powerful, democratic force and frames the project as a tribute to the records and cover art that inspired him.
Why It Matters
Dance Floor Riot Box Set is a substantial, multi-component portfolio that distills Fairey's lifelong devotion to music and album-cover art into a single collectible object. Tied to his REVOLUTIONS exhibition, it is one of two companion box sets released on consecutive days, with the source noting that buyers of both would receive matching numbers shipped together. The set's contents are unusually rich for a Fairey release: 36 signed and numbered screen prints plus a stencil, a sticker sheet, and a certificate of authentication, packaged at 12 x 12 inches to echo the dimensions of a vinyl record sleeve. Fairey's own statement, included in the source, traces his artistic origins to punk album covers and homemade stenciled tee shirts, making the set a direct window into the autobiography of his style. At an edition of only 150 and a $950 price point, it is one of the more ambitious and scarcer offerings in his catalog. For collectors, it represents a definitive music-themed acquisition that bundles process materials, finished prints, and authentication into a cohesive tribute to the records that shaped him.
Collector Perspective
This box set targets serious Fairey collectors and music-art enthusiasts who want a comprehensive, multi-piece portfolio rather than a single print. With 36 signed and numbered screen prints plus a stencil, stickers, and a certificate of authentication in an edition of only 150, it is a centerpiece acquisition that rewards deep engagement with his music-driven work. The 12 x 12 inch record-sleeve format makes it especially appealing to collectors who connect art and album culture. It pairs directly with its companion, Party At The Moontower, and buyers of both originally received matching numbers. The higher price and small edition position it as an investment-grade portfolio for committed collectors of the REVOLUTIONS body of work.
Historical Context
Dance Floor Riot Box Set was created for Fairey's REVOLUTIONS exhibition, which the source says ended in April 2011, a show built around his celebration of music and album-cover art. It belongs to the music strand of his catalog that traces directly to his punk and album-art roots, which his accompanying statement describes in detail. Released alongside the companion Party At The Moontower set on consecutive days in June 2011, it reflects Fairey's recurring practice of pairing exhibitions with ambitious limited-edition portfolios. The inclusion of a stencil and sticker sheet links the set to the street-art techniques at the origin of his practice, while the 36-print format underscores the scale of his musical influences.
FAQ
What is included in the box set?
Each Dance Floor Riot Box Set contains 36 signed and numbered screen prints, a stencil, a sticker sheet of nine stickers, and a certificate of authentication. It is a limited edition of 150, released by Obey Giant on June 28, 2011 at $950.
What exhibition is it connected to?
The set was created for Fairey's REVOLUTIONS show, which the source says ended in April 2011. REVOLUTIONS celebrated the music and album-cover art that inspired him, a theme Fairey expands on in his accompanying statement about his punk and album-art roots.
Is there a companion set?
Yes. Party At The Moontower was released the next day, June 29, 2011. The source notes that buyers who purchased both sets would receive matching numbers shipped together, along with a partial shipping refund.
How large is the edition?
Dance Floor Riot Box Set is a limited edition of 150. Each box measures 12 x 12 inches, echoing a vinyl record sleeve, and includes signed and numbered prints with a certificate of authentication, making it one of Fairey's more substantial portfolio releases.
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.