Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Wind Chases The Sun”?
Artist Statement
I have worked with a few Native American rights and advocacy groups over the years in an effort to combat, and raise awareness about, the pervasive injustice Native Americans have experienced historically. I have also learned about the miscarriage of justice in the Leonard Peltier case. Peltier, a member of the American Indian Movement, was accused and convicted of killing two FBI agents during a shoot out on the Pine Ridge reservation in 1975 even though no witnesses identified him as the shooter and ballistics were inconclusive. I have created a poster for a documentary about Leonard Peltier’s case called WIND CHASES THE SUN. Proceeds from this print go to the defense committee for Leonard Peltier. 18 x 24 inch Screen Print. Signed and numbered edition of 450. $65. Proceeds will help fund the defense of Leonard Peltier. Limit 1 per person / household. Photo by Jeff Scott Release date: 12/01/11
Summary
Wind Chases The Sun is a 2011 signed and numbered screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 450 measuring 18 x 24 inches and priced at $65. Fairey created it as a poster for a documentary about the Leonard Peltier case, with proceeds going to Peltier's defense committee. The image is based on a photograph by Jeff Scott. Released December 1, 2011 with a limit of one per person, the print extends Fairey's long engagement with Native American rights and advocacy, channeling collector support toward a specific legal-defense cause.
Why It Matters
Wind Chases The Sun is a clear example of Fairey's activist print practice directed at Native American rights, a cause he describes having engaged with through multiple advocacy groups over the years. Created as a poster for a documentary about Leonard Peltier, the American Indian Movement member whose murder conviction Fairey frames as a miscarriage of justice, the print turns collector demand into direct material support, with proceeds funding Peltier's defense committee. This benefit structure exemplifies how Fairey uses the accessible screen-print format as an instrument of advocacy rather than mere commerce. The work connects to a broader strand of his catalogue addressing Indigenous rights and historical injustice, and its documentary tie-in grounds it in a real, ongoing legal cause. Built from a photograph by Jeff Scott, it continues his practice of working from documentary source imagery. At an edition of 450 and $65, it is a moderately sized, accessible release that nonetheless carries substantial thematic weight through its subject and beneficiary. For collectors, it represents Fairey's sustained commitment to civil-rights causes and offers a tangible link between art ownership and activism, making it significant as both a protest object and a fundraising vehicle.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors focused on Fairey's civil-rights and social-justice work, particularly those drawn to Native American rights and the Leonard Peltier cause. The benefit structure, with proceeds funding Peltier's defense, adds meaning for buyers who value art tied to active advocacy. At a $65 release price and an edition of 450 in the standard 18 x 24 inch format, it is accessible and easy to display alongside other Obey Giant prints of the same size. It fits naturally into a politically themed Fairey collection centered on justice and Indigenous rights, and the documentary connection gives it a clear narrative that engaged collectors appreciate.
Historical Context
Wind Chases The Sun fits within Fairey's long-running engagement with Native American rights and advocacy, which he notes spans work with several groups over the years. Created as a poster for a documentary about Leonard Peltier, it reflects his focus on what he describes as the miscarriage of justice in Peltier's case, tying the print to the American Indian Movement and the 1975 Pine Ridge events. As a benefit edition directing proceeds to Peltier's defense, it exemplifies the cause-linked print model that runs through his catalogue. Within his 2011 output, it reinforces his sustained commitment to civil-rights and Indigenous-justice themes during this era.
FAQ
What cause does this print support?
Wind Chases The Sun was created as a poster for a documentary about the Leonard Peltier case, with proceeds going to Peltier's defense committee. It reflects Fairey's stated work with Native American rights and advocacy groups over the years.
What are the print's specifications?
It is a signed and numbered screen print in an edition of 450, measuring 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant. It released December 1, 2011 for $65 with a limit of one per person or household.
Who is Leonard Peltier in relation to this print?
Per Fairey's description, Peltier is a member of the American Indian Movement convicted of killing two FBI agents during a 1975 shootout at the Pine Ridge reservation, a case Fairey characterizes as a miscarriage of justice given inconclusive ballistics and no identifying witnesses.
Who created the source photograph?
The print's image is based on a photograph credited to Jeff Scott, used as the base for Fairey's screen-printed design, continuing his practice of working from documentary source imagery.
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.