Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Obey X Huf San Francisco '93”?
Artist Statement
"I've been a fan of Keith Hufnagel's innovative skateboarding since he first came on the scene in the early 90's. We met through some mutual friends when I was living in Providence around 1994 and I was impressed with how centered, humble and low-key Keith was for a skateboarder who was getting so much attention during the era of skateboarders with hip-hop star sized egos. As a skater, Keith was going back and forth between New York and San Francisco and his style was a hybrid of cutting edge, tech, with the East Coast creative use of gnarly obstacles. It didn't matter whether you were East Coast, West Coast, Biggie or Tupac, Keith Hufnagel could please everyone. In a lot of ways I think that his approach to skateboarding and his personal style has been quietly but profoundly influential. For all the BS and hype that's come and gone, Keith has remained consistent and I'm very happy to see the Huf brand take off. This poster, based on a great photo by Gabe Morford, embodies what Huf does best - he finds opportunities in the city terrain that other people wouldn't see and dominates with style and grace. This would be impressive now but keep in mind it's from 23 years ago. Huf and Obey both believe in seeing creative opportunities in the streets and elsewhere that other people might not see and remaining true to our roots; that's what this collaboration is all about." - Shepard OBEY x HUF SAN FRANCISCO '93 (Silver). 18 inches by 24 inches Screen Print on White Speckle Tone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Keith Hufnagel. Edition of: 400. $55.
Summary
Obey X Huf San Francisco '93 (Silver) is a 2016 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant on white Speckle Tone paper at 18 by 24 inches. Signed by both Fairey and skateboarder Keith Hufnagel, it is a numbered edition of 400. Based on a Gabe Morford photo of Hufnagel skating in 1993 San Francisco, the print celebrates the Huf founder's influential, low-key skate style. Released March 15, 2016, at $55, it marks a collaboration between two brands that share a belief in finding creative opportunities in the streets.
Why It Matters
This print documents a collaboration rooted in skateboarding history, pairing Fairey's OBEY with Keith Hufnagel's Huf brand around a 1993 image of Hufnagel skating San Francisco. The source recounts Fairey's admiration for Hufnagel's humble, cross-coast skate style, formed when the two met around 1994 in Providence, and frames the collaboration as a shared philosophy of seeing creative opportunities in urban terrain that others miss. For collectors, the dual signatures of Fairey and Hufnagel are a notable feature, tying the piece to skate culture's lineage as well as Fairey's art catalog. Built from Gabe Morford's photograph, it sits in Fairey's photographic-base tradition, translating a documentary skate image into a bold graphic poster. The skateboarding world overlaps heavily with Fairey's origins, his street-art roots grew out of skate and punk culture, so this collaboration reads as a return to those foundations rather than a detour. As a signed edition of 400 honoring a respected skater and brand founder, it carries appeal for skate-culture collectors, Huf devotees, and Fairey enthusiasts alike, and it captures a specific, celebrated moment in 1990s San Francisco skateboarding.
Collector Perspective
This print is a natural fit for skateboarding collectors, Huf brand loyalists, and Fairey enthusiasts who appreciate his street-culture roots. The dual signatures of Shepard Fairey and Keith Hufnagel add a distinctive draw, and as a numbered edition of 400 it is recognizable without being scarce. The 1993 San Francisco skate imagery, drawn from Gabe Morford's photo, displays well in a skate shop, garage, studio, or casual living space and sparks conversation among anyone steeped in board culture. It complements other Fairey skate- and street-themed pieces and pairs especially well with his collaboration editions. Its accessible original price and crossover subject make it an easy entry for collectors coming from the skate world rather than the fine-art side.
Historical Context
Obey X Huf San Francisco '93 reflects Fairey's deep ties to skateboarding, the culture from which his street-art practice originally sprang. The source dates Fairey's friendship with Keith Hufnagel to around 1994 in Providence and frames the print as a tribute to Hufnagel's quietly influential skate style and the rise of his Huf brand. Built from Gabe Morford's 1993 photograph, the work belongs to Fairey's photographic-base poster tradition and his ongoing practice of collaborating with figures he respects. Released in 2016 through Obey Giant, it sits among his mid-decade collaboration editions and underscores the shared ethos he describes between OBEY and Huf: finding creative opportunities in the streets and staying true to one's roots. The piece connects Fairey's contemporary output to the 1990s skate scene that shaped him, making it a documented bridge between his origins and his established studio practice.
FAQ
Who is the collaborator on this print?
The print is a collaboration with skateboarder Keith Hufnagel, founder of the Huf brand. It is signed by both Shepard Fairey and Keith Hufnagel, and is based on a 1993 photograph of Hufnagel skating in San Francisco taken by Gabe Morford.
What are the edition details?
Obey X Huf San Francisco '93 (Silver) is a numbered edition of 400, printed on white Speckle Tone paper at 18 by 24 inches. Published by Obey Giant in 2016, it originally sold for $55 and is signed by both Fairey and Hufnagel.
What is the image based on?
According to the source, the print is based on a Gabe Morford photo of Keith Hufnagel skating San Francisco in 1993, capturing what Fairey describes as Hufnagel's ability to find and dominate city terrain with style and grace.
What is the medium and size?
It is a screen print measuring 18 inches by 24 inches on white Speckle Tone paper, published by Obey Giant in 2016 and signed by both Shepard Fairey and Keith Hufnagel.
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.