What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Empire State Of Mind”?

Artist Statement

This explanation of my Empire State of Mind print may sound familiar, because it shares the same theme with my Oil & Gas Building print. The print is inspired by, but not based on, the Empire State Building. Industrial power has been a point of pride in America since the early 20th century, and many impressively iconic, if monolithic, architectural landmarks have been erected as symbols of industrial and American dominance. The Chrysler building, the General Electric building, the Sears Tower, and the Empire State Building come to mind. Dominant industrial forces may build great monuments to their success, but those physical manifestations of their power and ego often correlate to the dangerously disproportionate influence they have on politics and policy. America has had an empire state of mind for the last 100 plus years, but the dangers of thinking the world is ours to dominate and plunder are staring us in the face. The flame on top of this building is not a torch of glory, but a fire of reckless over-consumption This Empire State of Mind print is about the volatility of giving an industry with too much power the ability to manipulate politics in its favor despite the dangers to the environment and climate change. The situation is going to blow up in our faces metaphorically, and already has for too many people literally as well (remember the BP explosion and spill?). A lot of people freaked out that the Obama administration lost taxpayers about $600 million by investing in Solyndra, a solar panel company developing a new technology, which went bankrupt. However, few people seem upset that the U.S. government gives approximately $25 billion in tax breaks and subsidies to the highly profitable oil and gas industries. The Solyndra investment did not work out, but the need to fund new, renewable technologies, should be obvious when the rapidly depleting oil and gas sources become more difficult and dangerous to extract each passing day. The only reason the government subsidies are so disproportionate is because of the massive power the dying oil and gas industry still has. The Oil & Gas industry, which includes multi-national and independent oil and gas producers and refiners, natural gas pipeline companies, gasoline service stations and fuel oil dealers, has long enjoyed a history of strong influence in Washington. Individuals and political action committees affiliated with oil and gas companies have donated $238.7 million to candidates and parties since the 1990 election cycle, 75 percent of which has gone to Republicans. Though oil is finite, our reliance on it is so extreme that the power wielded by those who control oil is virtually unlimited. Oil and gas companies and the car manufacturers who profit heavily from gas powered engines used their power and influence to overturn a zero emissions law in the state of California, effectively delaying electric cars arriving on the market accessibly for 10 plus years. It is dangerous for an industry to have that much power. We need to cultivate renewable alternatives, and for the sake of the future, we need to push the government to support the developers of new technologies rather than subsidizing old fossil fuel models moving toward obsolescence. 18 x 24 inch screen print. Signed and numbered edition of 450. $45.

Summary

Empire State Of Mind is a 2014 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed and numbered first edition of 450 at 18 x 24 inches, priced at $45. Per the source, the image is inspired by, but not based on, the Empire State Building, depicting a monolithic industrial skyscraper topped not by a torch of glory but by a fire of reckless over-consumption. The work critiques the disproportionate political influence of the oil and gas industry and warns of the dangers of an 'empire state of mind,' arguing for renewable energy and reform of fossil-fuel subsidies. It shares its theme with Fairey's Oil & Gas Building print.

Why It Matters

Empire State Of Mind is one of Fairey's most explicitly argued environmental-political prints, fusing an iconic architectural symbol with a pointed critique of fossil-fuel power. The source lays out the concept in detail: industrial landmarks like the Empire State Building have long stood as monuments to American dominance, but their grandeur correlates with a dangerously disproportionate influence over politics and policy. The flame atop the building, Fairey explains, is not a torch of glory but a fire of reckless over-consumption, an image that turns a familiar emblem into an environmental warning. The print's argument is unusually specific for a poster: it cites oil and gas subsidies, the Solyndra controversy, industry political donations, and the overturning of California's zero-emissions law, grounding the critique in concrete policy. This places the work at the crossroads of his environmental, corporate-critique, and democracy themes. The source explicitly links it to his Oil & Gas Building print, situating it within a connected body of energy-focused works. The edition of 450 and $45 release price kept it accessible. For collectors, it is a substantive, idea-dense piece that rewards close reading and anchors an environmental-political grouping with a recognizable, charged image.

Collector Perspective

This print appeals to collectors who value Fairey's environmental and corporate-critique work, especially those drawn to image-plus-argument pieces with detailed messaging. The recognizable skyscraper motif gives it immediate visual hook, while the dense fossil-fuel critique rewards collectors who appreciate substance. Its documented link to the Oil & Gas Building print makes it a natural companion for those building a connected energy-themed set. At 18 x 24 inches it frames easily and integrates into a politically and environmentally focused wall. The edition of 450 and modest $45 release price kept it accessible to entry- and mid-level buyers. It displays as a strong conversation piece, pairing an iconic American symbol with a pointed climate-and-power message that resonates with mission-minded collectors.

Historical Context

Released May 20, 2014, Empire State Of Mind belongs to Fairey's environmental period, when energy, climate, and corporate-power critiques were central to his releases. The source ties it directly to his Oil & Gas Building print, marking it as part of a connected cluster of works on fossil-fuel influence. Its detailed references to oil and gas subsidies, the Solyndra episode, industry political donations, and California's overturned zero-emissions law root the print in the energy-policy debates of the early-to-mid 2010s. Within Fairey's arc, it exemplifies his move toward issue-dense environmental commentary that fuses recognizable American iconography with arguments for renewable energy and reform, reinforcing the activist core of his work in this era.

FAQ

Related Works

Oil & Gas Building2014 · Source explicitly states this print shares its theme with Oil & Gas Building; a direct companion work.

Corporate Welfare2015 · Corporate-power and subsidy critique, closely aligned with this print's fossil-fuel-influence message.

Wrong Path - Large Format (First Edition)2018 · Later environmental print continuing this work's energy and climate-policy critique.

People's Climate March2014 · Same-year climate-activism print, a contemporaneous companion in the environmental series.

This New Wave Is A Little Slick For My Taste (Large Format)2014 · Same-year oil-and-environment print sharing this work's fossil-fuel pollution theme.

180 South2010 · Earlier environmental print, a thematic predecessor in Fairey's climate-focused catalog.