Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Obey Loom (Letterpress)”?
Artist Statement
2 color Letterpress on 100% cotton archival paper with deckled edges. Signed and numbered edition of 450. OBEY publishing chop on bottom left corner. 10 inches x 13 inches. $65.
Summary
"Obey Loom (Letterpress)" is a 2015 Shepard Fairey work published by Obey Giant, produced as a two-color letterpress on 100% cotton archival paper with deckled edges. It measures 10 x 13 inches and is a signed and numbered first edition of 450, released at $65, with an OBEY publishing chop in the bottom left corner. The smaller intimate format and tactile letterpress technique distinguish it from Fairey's larger screen prints. Its design draws on OBEY iconography while touching on consumerism-and-power themes, presented as a refined, collectible letterpress object within his 2015 Obey Giant output.
Why It Matters
"Obey Loom" matters as a letterpress entry in Fairey's catalog, a medium he reserves for a subset of more crafted, tactile editions distinct from his standard screen prints. The two-color letterpress on 100% cotton archival paper with deckled edges and an embossed OBEY publishing chop signals a deliberately fine-art, object-forward presentation, giving collectors a different material experience from his poster-scale work. The differentiator for a database is precisely this medium-and-format specificity: a small 10 x 13 inch sheet, signed and numbered in an edition of 450, that rewards close, in-hand viewing over wall impact. Thematically it carries OBEY iconography with an undercurrent of consumerism and power, keeping it tethered to the conceptual core of the Obey project. Within Fairey's 2015 release cadence it represents the higher-craft tier of his affordable editions, priced modestly at $65 yet built with archival materials and traditional impression printing. For collectors who track medium variety across a Fairey holding, the letterpress designation and the publishing chop are meaningful authenticating details that this record supports directly.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who value medium variety and tactile, archival craft over large-scale wall presence. The two-color letterpress on cotton paper with deckled edges and an OBEY publishing chop gives it a refined, object-like quality that letterpress enthusiasts and detail-focused Fairey collectors appreciate. At a compact 10 x 13 inches it frames intimately and pairs well with other small-format letterpress editions in a curated grouping. Its signed and numbered edition of 450 and modest $65 original price make it an accessible specialty acquisition. It fits naturally within a collection organized around OBEY iconography or around Fairey's letterpress works specifically, serving as a representative example of his crafted, smaller-scale studio output.
Historical Context
"Obey Loom" sits within Fairey's mid-2010s practice of issuing varied editions through Obey Giant, including a recurring line of letterpress prints that sit apart from his dominant screen-print output. By 2015 Fairey had long since moved beyond his Early OBEY street origins into a mature studio operation that experimented across media, and letterpress offered a traditional, craft-oriented complement to his graphic poster work. The use of 100% cotton archival paper, deckled edges, and an OBEY publishing chop reflects the more collectible, object-focused side of this practice. Within his arc the piece documents how Fairey extended the OBEY iconography into refined editioned formats during this period, maintaining the brand's visual language while diversifying the physical forms in which it reached collectors.
FAQ
What printing technique was used for this work?
It is a two-color letterpress printed on 100% cotton archival paper with deckled edges. Letterpress is a traditional impression-based technique distinct from Fairey's more common screen prints, giving the piece a tactile, crafted surface. It also carries an OBEY publishing chop in the bottom left corner.
What are the size and edition details?
The print measures 10 x 13 inches and is a first edition limited to 450 prints. Each is signed and numbered by Shepard Fairey. The compact dimensions and cotton archival paper make it an intimate, object-focused edition rather than a large wall poster.
What is the OBEY publishing chop?
The OBEY publishing chop is an embossed or stamped mark located in the bottom left corner of the print, as noted in the source. It functions as a publisher's mark associated with Obey Giant editions and is part of how this particular letterpress edition was finished and presented.
What was the original price and release date?
It was released at an original price of $65, published by Obey Giant with a release date of June 16, 2015. The price reflected its archival cotton paper and letterpress production. The source does not establish a current market value.
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.