Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “A Product Of Your Society”?
Artist Statement
I recently made a new illustration and print of John Lydon in collaboration with photographer and designer Dennis Morris, with whom I've collaborated on several projects including fine art screen prints and paintings of Sid Vicious and Bob Marley. Dennis was the creative director of PIL (Public Image Limited), the band John Lydon, AKA Johnny Rotten, formed after the Sex Pistols broke up. Over the course of their first two albums, First Issue, and Metal Box, which are also my favorite albums of PIL's catalog, Dennis worked on photography, packaging concepts, and created the iconic PIL pill logo, which I made stencils of in high school. There is a great exhibit based around the first two PIL albums at the ICA London. If you are in London, be sure to check it out. -Shepard A PRODUCT OF YOUR SOCIETY. 18 inches by 24 inches Screen Print on Cream Speckle Tone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Dennis Morris. Edition of: 500. $80
Summary
A Product Of Your Society is a 2016 screen print by Shepard Fairey measuring 18 x 24 inches, printed on Cream Speckle Tone paper and published by Obey Giant in an edition of 500 at $80. It depicts John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited, made in collaboration with photographer and designer Dennis Morris, who was PIL's creative director. The print is signed by both Shepard Fairey and Dennis Morris. Fairey notes Morris created the iconic PIL pill logo, which Fairey stenciled in high school, and references PIL's albums First Issue and Metal Box.
Why It Matters
This print sits at the intersection of Fairey's punk fandom and his collaborative practice. By picturing John Lydon and partnering with Dennis Morris, the photographer-designer behind PIL's visual identity, Fairey connects directly to a foundational figure of British punk and post-punk. His own account, recalling that he cut stencils of Morris's PIL pill logo in high school, frames the work as personal homage tracing his lineage as an artist back to the graphic language of punk. The collaboration with Morris, who also worked with Fairey on prints of Sid Vicious and Bob Marley, deepens the credibility of the tribute and ties it to a body of joint projects. The dual signature of Fairey and Morris adds collector value as a co-authored edition. Within Fairey's catalog it belongs to the rich vein of music and counterculture portraits that document the artists and movements that shaped his sensibility, and it is enriched by the artist's first-person narrative about PIL, the ICA London exhibit, and his formative influences.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to punk and post-punk fans, especially admirers of John Lydon, the Sex Pistols, and PIL, as well as collectors who prize co-signed collaborative editions. The dual signature of Shepard Fairey and Dennis Morris makes it stand out from solo Fairey prints and gives it added provenance for collectors of music memorabilia. At its $80 issue price for a signed edition of 500, it was an accessible entry into Fairey's music-portrait work. The 18 x 24 inch format on Cream Speckle Tone paper frames easily and slots into a music or counterculture-themed wall. Collectors building a Fairey-meets-music narrative, or those drawn to the artist's documented personal connection to PIL, will find it a meaningful piece with a strong backstory.
Historical Context
Released in April 2016 by Obey Giant, this print extends Fairey's collaborative relationship with Dennis Morris, with whom he had previously made fine-art screen prints and paintings of Sid Vicious and Bob Marley. It reflects Fairey's career-long engagement with punk iconography, here tracing directly to his teenage years cutting stencils of Morris's PIL pill logo. The work coincides with renewed cultural attention to PIL, which Fairey references via an ICA London exhibit centered on the band's first two albums, First Issue and Metal Box. It exemplifies the mid-2010s phase in which Fairey paired his music portraiture with named photographer collaborators, crediting and co-signing with the people who originally documented these subjects.
FAQ
Who is in the print and who collaborated on it?
The print depicts John Lydon, also known as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited. Shepard Fairey made it in collaboration with photographer and designer Dennis Morris, who was PIL's creative director. The print is signed by both Shepard Fairey and Dennis Morris.
What is the edition size and the print's specifications?
It is a screen print in an edition of 500, measuring 18 by 24 inches, printed on Cream Speckle Tone paper. Published by Obey Giant in 2016, the original issue price was $80. It is co-signed by Shepard Fairey and Dennis Morris.
What is Fairey's personal connection to the subject?
Fairey writes that Dennis Morris created the iconic PIL pill logo, which Fairey made stencils of in high school. He also names First Issue and Metal Box as his favorite PIL albums and notes a related ICA London exhibit built around the band's first two records.
Had Fairey worked with Dennis Morris before?
Yes. Fairey states he had collaborated with Dennis Morris on several projects, including fine-art screen prints and paintings of Sid Vicious and Bob Marley, making this part of an ongoing creative partnership between the two.
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.