Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Disorder”?
Artist Statement
"Disorder." Edition of 150. 24 inches by 32 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Casey Ryder. $150. Hand deckled Cotton Rag paper. "Casey Ryder might not be a name you know, but he has been doing great art and design for years, and has applied his talents to countless Obey and Studio Number One design projects over the years. Casey started to work with me as an intern more than 10 years ago while he was still in art school. Casey was quiet, but very focused and quickly soaked up the technical and philosophical foundations of my studio practice. I felt very lucky to have Casey as such a talented and hard-working designer, and I was pleased when he began to work on some of his own art that utilized abstraction, geometric shapes, patterns, and intense colors. Over the last few years Casey's art has become very sophisticated in its tension between order and chaos. At some point we kicked around the idea of some collaborative prints, and this diptych is the result. I'm very happy with the harmony between our styles, and I'm glad that Casey is now front and center rather than behind the scenes." - Shepard "Let's set this thing straight: I am extremely lucky. Not only am I getting to release this collaborative print with Shepard, I have been fortunate enough to have him be (ironically) a big brother figure to me for quite some time. In fact, most of what I have learned in my adult life-from being a professional creative, to the importance of giving people a chance - has been informed by the years I spent working alongside him. In some way, the release of this collaboration is a kind of graduation day for me, which is why it means so much and still seems so wild. Our styles complement one another in a way that speaks to our history and friendship. The boldness of the lines, the rich texture and vibrant color palette have an energy that reminds me of the days when we shared an office together above the Wiltern in Los Angeles. Piles of books cluttering the floor, art pieces from friends tiling every inch of the walls and the bombastic sounds of The Clash or Public Enemy filling any negative space left in the room. It was a fortress of vivid inspiration that enabled me to develop into the artist I am today." - Casey Ryder
Summary
Disorder is a 2016 screen print by Shepard Fairey in collaboration with designer Casey Ryder, published by Obey Giant on hand-deckled Cotton Rag paper at 24 by 32 inches. Signed by both artists, it is a numbered first edition of 150 and forms one half of a diptych with its companion, Chaos. The print combines Fairey's bold linework with Ryder's abstraction, geometric shapes, patterns, and intense colors, exploring the tension between order and chaos. Released March 24, 2016, at $150, it marks Ryder stepping forward as a named collaborator after years inside Fairey's studio.
Why It Matters
Disorder, the companion to Chaos, is significant as a documented collaboration foregrounding Casey Ryder, a longtime Fairey studio insider. The source explains Ryder began as an intern over a decade earlier and contributed to countless Obey and Studio Number One projects before developing his own abstract, geometric, intensely colored work. Conceived as half of a diptych, Disorder reflects Fairey's stated pleasure in the harmony between the two artists' styles and his desire to bring Ryder 'front and center rather than behind the scenes.' For collectors, the appeal is an abstract, pattern-driven composition that diverges from Fairey's usual portrait and propaganda imagery, produced on hand-deckled Cotton Rag paper in a small edition of 150, the most limited run in this batch. The larger 24-by-32-inch format and premium paper mark a deluxe production. Both artists' statements frame the release as a meaningful 'graduation day' for Ryder, anchoring it in a story of mentorship and creative friendship forged in their shared studio above the Wiltern. As a dual-signed diptych element with a low edition size, Disorder rewards collectors who value abstraction, collaboration narratives, and the relative scarcity of a 150-print run.
Collector Perspective
Disorder attracts collectors who favor abstraction and pattern over Fairey's signature portraits, as well as those who appreciate collaboration backstories. As a dual-signed numbered edition of 150 on hand-deckled Cotton Rag paper at 24 by 32 inches, it is among the scarcest and most deluxe pieces in this group, appealing to buyers who prize limited runs and fine materials. Its larger format makes a bold feature-wall statement, and it is best displayed as a diptych alongside its companion, Chaos, for collectors who pursue the complete pairing. The mentorship story between Fairey and Casey Ryder adds meaning. It suits collectors who value complementary-style harmony and the rarity of a 150-edition release.
Historical Context
Disorder belongs to Fairey's practice of elevating trusted studio collaborators into co-authored editions, here highlighting Casey Ryder, who the source says spent more than ten years on Obey and Studio Number One projects before pursuing his own abstract, geometric art. Created as one half of a diptych with Chaos, the print embodies Fairey's mid-2010s interest in pairing his bold graphic style with complementary approaches, in this case Ryder's pattern-and-color abstraction exploring order versus chaos. Produced on hand-deckled Cotton Rag paper in a small edition of 150, it represents a more deluxe, fine-art-leaning release than Fairey's standard posters. The artists' statements ground the project in mentorship and friendship from their shared studio years above the Wiltern in Los Angeles. The print documents how Fairey's studio cultivates talent and his willingness to share authorship with collaborators he has long mentored.
FAQ
Who collaborated on Disorder?
Disorder is a collaboration between Shepard Fairey and designer Casey Ryder, who worked inside Fairey's studio for over a decade before developing his own abstract, geometric art. The print is signed by both artists and was published in 2016 by Obey Giant.
What are the edition and format details?
Disorder is a numbered first edition of 150, printed on hand-deckled Cotton Rag paper at 24 by 32 inches. Signed by both Fairey and Casey Ryder, it was published by Obey Giant in 2016 at an original price of $150.
How does Disorder relate to Chaos?
According to the source, Disorder and Chaos were created together as a diptych, the outcome of Fairey and Casey Ryder deciding to make collaborative prints. Fairey describes a harmony between the two artists' styles across the pair.
What is distinctive about this release?
It is one of Fairey's more deluxe collaboration prints, made on hand-deckled Cotton Rag paper in a small edition of 150 at a larger 24-by-32-inch size, pairing Casey Ryder's abstract, pattern-based imagery with Fairey's bold linework.
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.