Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Wake Up (White)”?
Artist Statement
The "Wake Up!" print is a simple but urgent plea for all of us to activate our moral compasses and speak up. For those who have been silent, it is time to open our eyes, our minds, and speak out for human rights and human dignity. The title and text in the print were inspired in part by a lyric from punk band T.S.O.L.'s song "Silent Majority." I worked on their just released album "The Trigger Complex" so I've been listening to their music a lot lately. I support Planned Parenthood and will be making a donation to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund to stand with the millions of people Planned Parenthood provides care for each year. – Shepard Wake Up! (White). 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on cream Speckle Tone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 350. $55.
Summary
Wake Up! (White) is a 2017 Shepard Fairey screen print on cream Speckle Tone paper, 18 x 24 inches, signed and issued in a numbered edition of 350 by Obey Giant. The image is an urgent call to activate one's moral compass and speak out for human rights and dignity. Its title and text were inspired in part by a lyric from punk band T.S.O.L.'s song 'Silent Majority,' whose album The Trigger Complex Fairey worked on. Per the release statement, Fairey pledged a donation to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The print was released at an original price of $55.
Why It Matters
Wake Up! distills several threads that define Fairey's work: punk-music roots, plainspoken activist messaging, and a direct link between art and social causes. The print's text draws on T.S.O.L.'s 'Silent Majority,' tying it to Fairey's deep involvement in punk and his work on the band's album The Trigger Complex, and reframing a song lyric as a public call to conscience. The accompanying statement frames the piece around speaking up for human rights and human dignity, and Fairey notes his support for Planned Parenthood with a pledged donation to its Action Fund. That combination of music, civil-rights urgency, and cause-driven release makes Wake Up! a strong example of how Fairey fuses counterculture influence with explicit advocacy. For collectors, it bridges his music-inspired catalog and his civil-rights and social-justice work, sitting comfortably alongside both punk-music prints and protest-oriented editions. The numbered run of 350 is tighter than many of his standard releases, and the typographic, message-forward composition gives it broad display appeal. It captures a specific 2017 political moment while remaining a clear, timeless plea to stay engaged.
Collector Perspective
Wake Up! attracts collectors at the intersection of Fairey's music-driven and activist work, including punk fans drawn to the T.S.O.L. connection and buyers who value prints tied to social causes. Its message-forward, typographic composition reads strongly on a wall and pairs naturally with other punk-music and civil-rights prints. At 18 x 24 inches it is easy to frame and group, and the relatively contained edition of 350 adds appeal for those seeking tighter runs. Collectors assembling a music-and-protest themed set will find it a connective piece, linking the counterculture and human-rights corners of a Fairey collection. The documented charitable angle and punk lineage give it a narrative hook that enhances both display interest and collection cohesion.
Historical Context
Wake Up! (White) lands in 2017, a politically charged moment that Fairey responded to with a wave of activist prints. The work reflects his lifelong grounding in punk: he explicitly credits T.S.O.L.'s 'Silent Majority' and notes his work on the band's 2016-2017 album The Trigger Complex. It also continues his practice of pairing print releases with causes, here a stated donation to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Within Fairey's arc, the piece belongs to his ongoing fusion of music culture and direct advocacy, sitting near other punk-rooted and civil-rights releases of the period and extending the message-driven, text-forward poster tradition that runs throughout his mature career.
FAQ
What inspired the Wake Up! print?
Fairey states the title and text were inspired in part by a lyric from punk band T.S.O.L.'s song 'Silent Majority.' He had been working on the band's just-released album The Trigger Complex and listening to their music heavily, which fed into this urgent call to speak up for human rights and dignity.
What are its size, medium, and edition?
Wake Up! (White) is a screen print on cream Speckle Tone paper measuring 18 x 24 inches, signed by Shepard Fairey and issued in a numbered edition of 350. It was published by Obey Giant in 2017 at an original price of $55.
Is this print tied to a cause?
Yes. In the release statement, Fairey expresses support for Planned Parenthood and says he will make a donation to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund to stand with the people the organization serves. The print itself is framed as a plea to speak out for human rights and dignity.
What is the difference between the White and Cream versions?
The release came in two listed colorways, Cream and White. This record is the White version. Both share the same 18 x 24 screen-print format on cream Speckle Tone paper, differing in their color treatment.
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.