Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Obedience Problems”?
Artist Statement
OBEDIENCE PROBLEMS Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 100
Summary
Obedience Problems is a 1999 screen print, 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 100. The source supplies only the title, medium, dimensions, and edition size, with no description of the imagery. Its title plays on the OBEY/obedience theme central to Fairey's project, but the record does not document the specific visual content. It belongs to Fairey's late-1990s Obey Giant screen prints, catalogued within his collaborations and pop-culture strand, and is paired in the catalog with a related collage version of the same title.
Why It Matters
Obedience Problems is notable mainly for its title, which puns on the obedience command at the heart of Fairey's OBEY campaign, the strand that grew out of his Andre the Giant sticker work. Even without a documented description, the title signals the propaganda-and-control motif Fairey used to provoke viewers into questioning authority and the messages they obey. As a 1999 first edition of 100, it sits among the small early Obey Giant runs that collectors track when assembling a chronological view of his output. The catalog also lists a companion collage version, indicating Fairey explored the concept in more than one format, which adds interest for collectors who like to pair related works. For a knowledge graph, the honest value is in placing this print within its cohort and noting the thematic resonance of its name, while avoiding any invented claim about its imagery. Buyers drawn to the obedience and propaganda themes that define Fairey's project will find this a relevant, if sparsely documented, early edition that rewards seeing alongside its collage counterpart and the broader OBEY iconography.
Collector Perspective
Obedience Problems suits collectors focused on the obedience and propaganda themes that anchor Fairey's OBEY project, as well as completists of his early Obey Giant editions. With a first edition of 100, it is a modest-run piece that pairs naturally with its companion collage version for collectors who like related sets. Because the source carries no description, the imagery is undocumented here, so buyers should review images before purchase. For display it works well grouped with other late-1990s prints or alongside its collage counterpart, where the shared title makes the thematic connection legible.
Historical Context
Obedience Problems dates to 1999, within Fairey's prolific late-1990s Obey Giant screen-printing period that followed the spread of the Andre the Giant sticker campaign. The title echoes the OBEY/obedience motif that organizes much of his work, framing themes of authority and control. The catalog pairs it with a collage version, suggesting Fairey worked the idea across formats during this phase. The source offers no descriptive detail beyond date, medium, and edition size, so its specific place in his arc is anchored by those facts and by the thematic cue in its name.
FAQ
What is Obedience Problems?
It is a 1999 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 100. The record lists title, medium, dimensions, and edition size but contains no description of the imagery.
Is there a related version?
Yes. The catalog lists a companion piece, Obedience Problems Collage, also dated 1999, indicating Fairey explored the same title in a collage format.
How large is the edition?
The source lists a first edition of 100, published by Obey Giant. No additional editions are noted in the record.
What does the print show?
The source does not describe the imagery, so the specific visual content is not documented here. The title puns on the obedience theme central to Fairey's OBEY project, but buyers should consult images to confirm the subject.
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.