Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Water Is The New Black”?
Artist Statement
WATER IS THE NEW BLACK by Shepard Fairey 18 x 24 inch screen print on cream speckle tone paper. Signed and numbered edition of 450. $55. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the NRDC
Summary
"Water Is The New Black" is a 2015 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches on cream speckle tone paper as a signed and numbered first edition of 450, released at $55. A portion of the proceeds was designated to benefit the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). The source description is otherwise brief, focusing on production details rather than the specific imagery. The title and the NRDC charitable connection point to a water and environmental theme, framing the work within Fairey's environmentally conscious output among his 2015 Obey Giant studio editions.
Why It Matters
"Water Is The New Black" gains significance from its charitable designation: the source states a portion of the proceeds benefited the NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council, tying the print to a concrete environmental cause. Together with its title, this points clearly to a water-and-environment theme, distinguishing it from purely decorative editions even though the source offers limited description of the actual imagery. The verifiable facts are clean: an 18 x 24 inch screen print on cream speckle tone paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 450, released at $55. For a database, the NRDC link is the standout differentiator, placing this print among Fairey's cause-connected works and giving collectors a measurable activist association. Beyond that, it functions as a chronological anchor within his prolific 2015 run and as an affordable, accessible signed Fairey. Because the record does not elaborate on the composition, interpretation of the specific design stays cautious, but the title and charitable beneficiary together support reading it as an environmentally minded piece, useful to collectors who prioritize works with a documented cause connection.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who value Fairey's environmental and cause-connected work, particularly given the NRDC charitable designation and the water-themed title. The documented beneficiary makes it a meaningful anchor for an environmentally themed wall and appeals to mission-minded collectors. At 18 x 24 inches on cream speckle tone paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 450, it is an accessible acquisition at its $55 original price. It fits a collection organized around Fairey's environmental work or grouped chronologically with his 2015 Obey Giant editions. With limited imagery detail in the source, its appeal rests more on the cause association and Fairey's recognizable graphic voice than on a fully documented visual narrative.
Historical Context
"Water Is The New Black" sits within Fairey's mid-2010s practice of pairing affordable screen-print editions with specific advocacy causes, here the NRDC. By 2015 Fairey routinely designated proceeds from his prints to environmental and reform organizations, and this piece exemplifies that approach with its water-and-environment framing. As a signed and numbered edition of 450 issued through Obey Giant during a prolific release year, it belongs to the steady stream of cause-driven editions that defined his studio output in this period. Within his arc it connects to a broader environmental strand running across his catalog, demonstrating how he used collectible prints as both objects and vehicles for supporting conservation efforts during the decade, even when the source description of the individual design remains brief.
FAQ
Does this print support a cause?
Yes. According to the source, a portion of the proceeds was designated to benefit the NRDC, the Natural Resources Defense Council. Combined with the print's title, this charitable connection ties the work to environmental and water-conservation concerns consistent with the theme suggested by the piece.
What are the production details?
It is an 18 x 24 inch screen print on cream speckle tone paper, signed and numbered in a first edition of 450. It was published by Obey Giant in 2015 with a release date of August 25, 2015, and an original price of $55.
What is the print's theme?
The title "Water Is The New Black" and the NRDC beneficiary point to a water and environmental theme. The source description is brief and does not detail the specific imagery, so interpretation of the exact composition should remain cautious, though the cause connection supports an environmental reading.
How large is the edition?
It is a first edition limited to 450 prints, each signed and numbered by Shepard Fairey. This edition size is consistent with many of Fairey's mid-sized signed studio releases from 2015 and places it among his accessible cause-connected editions.
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.