Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Tyranny Has A Witness”?
Artist Statement
I believe in using my art to advocate for human rights, so working with Human Rights Watch to further their goals is an honor and ideal collaboration for me. I’m very excited about this image because I feel it promotes the idea that a few courageous people can stand up for what they think is right, and soon others will join them. There is power in every small action and cumulative power in numbers. “TYRANNY HAS A WITNESS” showcases the hope and determination needed to fight injustice and oppression. – Shepard “TYRANNY HAS A WITNESS” captures the spirit of the ‘Arab Spring’ and pays homage to people across the Middle East and North Africa who are engaged in a historic movement to end repressive rule by declaring their right to political freedom and accountable government. Human Rights Watch’s long-standing presence in these regions has enabled the organization to report from inside the uprisings, capturing the tension and elation of citizens committed to challenging these oppressive regimes. This artwork symbolizes the determination and vigilance necessary to bring about deep-rooted change. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Human Rights Watch organization. 18 x 24 inch Screen print Signed and Numbered Edition of 450. $75. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Human Rights Watch organization. Limit 1 per person / household. Photograph by Yuri Kozyrev / NOOR for Time. Release Date: 12/13/2011
Summary
Tyranny Has A Witness is a 2011 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant and released December 13, 2011. It is an 18 x 24 inch signed and numbered first edition of 450, originally $75, made in collaboration with Human Rights Watch with a portion of proceeds donated to the organization. Based on a photograph by Yuri Kozyrev / NOOR for Time, the image evokes the Arab Spring and honors people across the Middle East and North Africa challenging repressive rule. Fairey describes it as promoting the idea that a few courageous people standing up can inspire others to join.
Why It Matters
Tyranny Has A Witness is one of Fairey's most explicitly human-rights-driven prints, made directly with Human Rights Watch and tied to the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. Unlike many editions of the period, the source documents a clear message: Fairey states the work promotes the belief that a few courageous people can stand up for what is right and inspire others to join, emphasizing power in cumulative small actions. Its grounding in a photojournalistic image by Yuri Kozyrev for Time connects Fairey's poster aesthetic to live reportage from the uprisings, giving the print documentary weight. The charitable structure, with a portion of proceeds donated to Human Rights Watch, places it within Fairey's long pattern of pairing art with advocacy organizations. For collectors, this combination of a named human-rights partner, a specific historical moment, an artist statement, and a photojournalistic source makes the print more meaningful than a purely decorative release. It exemplifies how Fairey uses the language of propaganda imagery to amplify rather than manipulate, turning a small signed edition into a piece of timely political solidarity that remains legible as a document of the early-2010s pro-democracy movements.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors drawn to Fairey's activist and human-rights work, and to prints with documented charitable partnerships and clear political context. The Human Rights Watch collaboration, the Arab Spring subject, and Fairey's own statement give it strong narrative appeal for a themed collection of justice-oriented works. At an edition of 450 and an original $75, it remains within reach for collectors building a politically focused Fairey grouping. The 18 x 24 inch format displays well alongside his other rights and justice prints. Buyers value the photojournalistic source by Yuri Kozyrev for Time and the explicit advocacy framing, which distinguish it from his lighter pop-culture releases.
Historical Context
Released in December 2011, Tyranny Has A Witness sits within Fairey's sustained engagement with human-rights and justice causes during the early 2010s. It directly responds to the Arab Spring, the wave of pro-democracy uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, and was produced in partnership with Human Rights Watch, an organization with a long reporting presence in those regions. The use of a Yuri Kozyrev / NOOR photograph made for Time anchors the work to contemporary photojournalism. The print extends Fairey's recurring practice of building editions around current political movements and donating a portion of proceeds to allied organizations. Within his arc, it belongs to the activist strand that runs parallel to his collaboration and pop-culture output, reinforcing his identity as an artist who channels propaganda-style graphics toward solidarity with rights movements.
FAQ
Who did Shepard Fairey collaborate with on this print?
Tyranny Has A Witness was made in collaboration with Human Rights Watch. Fairey described it as an honor and ideal collaboration, and a portion of the proceeds was donated to the organization, which has a long-standing reporting presence in the regions depicted.
What event inspired Tyranny Has A Witness?
The print captures the spirit of the Arab Spring, paying homage to people across the Middle East and North Africa engaged in a historic movement to end repressive rule and demand political freedom and accountable government, per the source description.
What is the source image and edition size?
The image is based on a photograph by Yuri Kozyrev / NOOR for Time. It is an 18 x 24 inch screen print, signed and numbered in an edition of 450, with a limit of one per person or household at release.
What did the print cost and what was its message?
It originally retailed for $75. Fairey said the image promotes the idea that a few courageous people can stand up for what is right and inspire others to join, emphasizing power in cumulative small actions against injustice and oppression.
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.