Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Keep It Underground (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
This is another in my series of images to encourage people to rethink fossil fuel consumption. This one is a bit of a tribute to the Ramones and their underground legacy, but the phrase "Keep It Underground" is actually more meant to encourage us to keep oil underground. If we extract everything there is to extract the planet is likely doomed, so I implore you to keep it underground spiritually but keep the oil underground literally. Thanks for caring. -Shepard 18 x 24 inch screen print on cream speckle tone paper. Signed and numbered edition of 450. $45.
Summary
Keep It Underground is a 2015 screen print published by Obey Giant, printed on cream speckle tone paper as a signed and numbered first edition of 450. It measures 18 x 24 inches and was released at an original price of $45. Per Fairey's statement, the print belongs to his series urging people to rethink fossil-fuel consumption, with the phrase meaning to keep oil literally underground. He notes it also pays tribute to the Ramones and their underground legacy. The image links environmental advocacy to music and counterculture references.
Why It Matters
Keep It Underground is notable for fusing two of Fairey's enduring concerns: environmental advocacy and music. In his own words quoted in the source, the print is part of a series urging people to rethink fossil-fuel consumption, with the title functioning as a double meaning, keep oil underground and keep the underground spirit alive, plus a tribute to the Ramones. That layered messaging makes it a richer object than a single-issue climate poster. The Ramones reference connects it to Fairey's long engagement with punk and underground music culture, broadening its collector appeal beyond environmental audiences. At an edition of 450 and a modest $45 release price, it was among the more accessible prints of its year. The cream speckle paper ties it to a cohesive run of 2015 releases. For a database, the differentiator is the documented dual meaning and the explicit Ramones tribute, both drawn directly from Fairey's statement, which distinguishes this from his many other climate-themed editions and gives it a clear cross-collector narrative.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to two overlapping audiences: collectors of Fairey's environmental and climate work and fans of his music and punk-culture references, given the documented Ramones tribute. The wordplay and underground theme make it conversational on a wall, and at 18 x 24 inches it frames easily for home or studio display. The low original price of $45 and edition of 450 made it accessible, and it fits naturally into collections organized around climate activism, music tributes, or Fairey's 2015 screen-print run on cream speckle paper. Buyers who like prints with a clear, artist-stated message will value the included Fairey quote that explains the double meaning. It is a strong crossover piece bridging activism and music interests.
Historical Context
Released December 2015 under Obey Giant, Keep It Underground sits within Fairey's sustained body of environmental and climate prints from the mid-2010s, a period when he produced numerous works urging reduced fossil-fuel use. The accompanying Fairey statement explicitly frames it as part of that series while folding in a tribute to the Ramones, reflecting his lifelong connection to punk and underground music that informs much of his visual sensibility. Printed on cream speckle tone paper, it belongs to a cohesive cluster of 2015 releases. The print shows Fairey blending activist messaging with cultural homage, using a music reference to make an environmental argument more resonant rather than treating the two themes separately.
FAQ
What does the title Keep It Underground mean?
Per Fairey's statement, the title has a double meaning: keep oil literally underground to protect the planet from over-extraction, and keep the underground spirit alive. He frames it as part of his series urging people to rethink fossil-fuel consumption.
Is there a music connection?
Yes. Fairey states the print is also a tribute to the Ramones and their underground legacy, linking his environmental message to punk and underground music culture that has long informed his work.
What are the edition details?
It is a signed and numbered first edition of 450, measuring 18 x 24 inches, printed on cream speckle tone paper. It was released through Obey Giant in 2015 at an original price of $45.
How does it fit Fairey's other work?
It belongs to his sustained run of environmental and climate prints from the mid-2010s, while standing out for its explicit Ramones tribute and wordplay, which bridge his activist and music interests.
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.