Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “FUCK Kozik and Giant”?
Artist Statement
In 1998 Kozik called me and asked if he could connect me with some Japanese folks who collected his work and liked my work. It kicked off a great relationship between Kozik, me, and Dept. Japan. In 2000 Dept invited me and Frank to do an art show at their space in Osaka. Frank suggested that we call the show "FUCK Kozik and Giant," which I thought was funny, so I designed some type for it. Frank then invited me to his studio in San Francisco to finish the poster with him. When I got there, Frank, a hero, and major inspiration, pulled out a rough pencil sketch of a scene with rows of his "Smokin' Rabbits" parading in front of the Kremlin being saluted by soldiers. Frank then told me to complete the art while he chain-smoked and cranked Black Sabbath while looking over my shoulder. I was very nervous but made illustrations, scanned them, and worked out the composition to Frank's satisfaction. I had succeeded in a trial by fire lit by a personal hero. Thanks for that and a lot of other great moments Frank, but mostly thanks for being a prolific punk rock DIY trailblazer! –Shepard
Summary
FUCK Kozik and Giant is a 2000 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 200 at 24 x 40 inches. Per Fairey's own account, it was the poster for a 2000 art show in Osaka with artist Frank Kozik, organized through Dept. Japan. The composition pairs Fairey's designed type with Kozik's pencil-sketched scene of his 'Smokin' Rabbits' parading before the Kremlin and being saluted by soldiers, which Fairey illustrated and composed in Kozik's San Francisco studio. The deliberately provocative title was Kozik's idea.
Why It Matters
This print is one of the most fully documented works of Fairey's early period because his own narrative accompanies it, making it a rich node in any knowledge graph. It records a genuine collaboration with Frank Kozik, a punk-rock poster legend Fairey calls 'a hero, and major inspiration,' and it captures the moment Fairey completed Kozik's sketched scene under the older artist's direct supervision, a 'trial by fire' that connected two pillars of the poster underground. The imagery itself, Kozik's 'Smokin' Rabbits' parading before the Kremlin and saluted by soldiers, channels Cold War iconography and the satirical edge of punk graphics. With a first edition of 200 and an unusually large 24 x 40-inch format, it is a striking, statement-scale piece tied to a specific Osaka exhibition through Dept. Japan. The provocative title, conceived by Kozik, embodies the irreverent DIY spirit Fairey honors in his account. For collectors, the documented collaboration, the personal backstory, and the bridge it forms between Fairey's OBEY world and Kozik's punk-poster lineage give it significance well beyond its edition size. It stands as a tangible artifact of the music-and-counterculture network that shaped Fairey's sensibility.
Collector Perspective
This print is a magnet for collectors at the intersection of street art and punk-poster culture, especially admirers of both Shepard Fairey and Frank Kozik. The documented collaboration, exhibition tie to Osaka and Dept. Japan, and Fairey's first-person backstory give it strong narrative provenance that display-focused collectors prize. Its large 24 x 40-inch format makes it a commanding centerpiece rather than a filler piece, and the first edition of 200 keeps it within a defined run. It fits naturally in a music-and-counterculture grouping alongside Fairey's later punk and rock portraits. Buyers drawn to artist-collaboration works and the DIY poster lineage will find it a meaningful, story-rich acquisition.
Historical Context
Created in 2000, this poster marks Fairey's collaboration with Frank Kozik for an art show in Osaka organized through Dept. Japan, a relationship Fairey traces to a 1998 call from Kozik connecting him with Japanese collectors. It sits at the convergence of Fairey's OBEY practice and the punk-rock poster tradition Kozik pioneered, with imagery drawn from Kozik's 'Smokin' Rabbits' and Cold War Kremlin motifs. The work documents a formative mentorship moment, Fairey completing Kozik's sketch under his watch, that reflects the broader music-and-counterculture milieu shaping Fairey's early-2000s output. It belongs to the foundational Obey Giant catalog and exemplifies the collaborative, DIY ethos central to that era of his career.
FAQ
Who did Shepard Fairey collaborate with on this print?
Fairey collaborated with artist Frank Kozik for a 2000 art show in Osaka organized through Dept. Japan. By Fairey's account, Kozik sketched a scene of his 'Smokin' Rabbits' parading before the Kremlin, and Fairey completed the illustration and composition in Kozik's San Francisco studio.
Where does the unusual title come from?
According to Fairey's narrative, the deliberately provocative title 'FUCK Kozik and Giant' was Frank Kozik's suggestion for the Osaka show. Fairey found it funny and designed the type for it, reflecting the irreverent DIY spirit of the collaboration.
What are the edition size and dimensions?
It is a screen print produced in a first edition of 200, measuring 24 x 40 inches. The large format makes it a commanding display piece, larger than the standard 18 x 24-inch posters common in Fairey's early-2000s catalog.
Why is this collaboration significant?
Fairey describes Kozik as 'a hero, and major inspiration,' and recounts completing the artwork under Kozik's direct supervision as a 'trial by fire.' The print documents a real meeting of the OBEY and punk-poster traditions, giving it strong narrative provenance.
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.