Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Hi Fidelity”?
Artist Statement
40 x 40 in. (101.6 x 101.6 cm). A unique handmade art piece featuring hand embellished and stenciled black and gold spray paint making each one unique. Hand resined top. Handmade solid black walnut hardwood frame with a satin finish. The piece can be hung on your wall or used as a coffee table by attaching the steel hairpin 10" handmade legs. The legs will come in a separate box with hardware included. Signed and numbered edition of 15.
Summary
Hi Fidelity is a 2016 hand-painted multiple by Shepard Fairey, published by Prints On Wood in a signed and numbered edition of 15 at $5,000. Each piece measures 40 x 40 inches and is a unique handmade object featuring hand-embellished, stenciled black and gold spray paint, so no two are identical. It has a hand-resined top and a handmade solid black walnut hardwood frame with a satin finish. The piece can be hung as wall art or converted into a coffee table using included steel hairpin 10-inch handmade legs, which ship separately with hardware. It combines Fairey's stencil and graphic vocabulary with functional, sculptural construction.
Why It Matters
Hi Fidelity stands apart from Fairey's paper editions as a hybrid art object, part painting, part functional furniture. Produced with Prints On Wood in a tiny run of 15, each example is individually hand-embellished and stenciled, making them unique works rather than reproducible prints. That uniqueness, combined with the substantial 40 x 40 inch scale, hand-resined surface, and handcrafted black walnut frame, places it in a premium tier well above Fairey's accessible paper releases, reflected in its $5,000 issue price. The convertible design, hangable on the wall or mountable on steel hairpin legs as a coffee table, makes it a statement of how Fairey's imagery can move off the gallery wall and into lived domestic space. The black-and-gold palette and stencil technique tie it to his core visual identity even as the object format pushes into sculpture and design. For collectors, it represents the rarer, object-based end of Fairey's practice, where craftsmanship, materials, and one-of-a-kind execution drive value rather than edition photography.
Collector Perspective
This suits collectors seeking a centerpiece object rather than a framed print, and those drawn to the crossover between fine art and functional design. With only 15 made, each uniquely hand-embellished, it appeals to buyers who value one-of-a-kind execution and premium materials, the black walnut frame, hand-resined top, and gold-and-black stenciling. The convertible format, wall art or coffee table, makes it a versatile installation piece for design-forward interiors. At a $5,000 issue price it targets established collectors with the budget for a statement work rather than entry-level buyers. It fits a collection emphasizing Fairey's sculptural and object-based output, or a design-oriented space where the piece can function as furniture while signaling the owner's connection to his graphic language.
Historical Context
Released in 2016 through Prints On Wood, Hi Fidelity reflects Fairey's mid-2010s expansion into hand-finished multiples and object-based works beyond traditional screen prints. The collaboration with Prints On Wood, a publisher known for art printed and built on wood substrates, allowed Fairey to merge his stencil aesthetic with three-dimensional construction. The convertible wall-art-to-table format situates the work within a broader contemporary-art trend of blurring the line between collectible art and functional design. While Fairey's reputation rests largely on paper editions and murals, pieces like this document his willingness to experiment with materials, scale, and format, producing rare, premium objects that occupy a distinct niche within his overall catalog.
FAQ
How is Hi Fidelity made and why is each one unique?
It is a hand-painted multiple featuring hand-embellished and stenciled black and gold spray paint, which makes each one unique. The piece has a hand-resined top and is set in a handmade solid black walnut hardwood frame with a satin finish. It was published by Prints On Wood in 2016.
Can it be used as furniture?
Yes. The 40 by 40 inch piece can be hung on a wall or used as a coffee table by attaching steel hairpin 10-inch handmade legs. The legs ship in a separate box with hardware included, allowing the owner to choose between wall art and a functional table.
How large is the edition and what did it cost?
It is a signed and numbered edition of 15, with an original issue price of $5,000. Each piece measures 40 by 40 inches (101.6 by 101.6 cm). The small edition size and handmade, uniquely embellished construction place it among Fairey's rarer object-based works.
What materials are used in the frame and surface?
The piece has a hand-resined top and a handmade solid black walnut hardwood frame with a satin finish. The imagery is created with hand-embellished, stenciled black and gold spray paint. These premium materials distinguish it from Fairey's standard paper 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.