Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Damaged Stencil Series”?
Artist Statement
Damaged Stencil Series. 18 x 24 inches. Offsets on cream paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 400. $160.
Summary
Damaged Stencil Series is a 2017 offset lithograph by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant. It measures 18 x 24 inches, is printed on cream paper, signed by Fairey, and issued as a numbered edition of 400 at a price of $160. The work is connected to Fairey's DAMAGED exhibition and stencil-based imagery from that body of work. The source description is limited, providing edition, medium, dimensions, and signature details but little on the specific image content, so interpretation is drawn cautiously from the title and its association with the broader DAMAGED stencil project.
Why It Matters
Damaged Stencil Series connects to Shepard Fairey's 2017 DAMAGED project, the exhibition and broader body of work in which he foregrounded raw, stencil-driven imagery and a critique of media and power. The stencil aesthetic referenced in the title nods directly to the roots of Fairey's practice in street art, where the stencil and the spray can were the original tools of his guerrilla campaigns; framing an editioned offset lithograph around that vocabulary deliberately bridges his fine-art releases and his graffiti origins. As an offset lithograph signed and editioned at 400, the work sits within the DAMAGED-era output that ranks among Fairey's most cohesive exhibition projects. For collectors, its value lies in that exhibition association and in the stencil motif that signals Fairey's foundational style. The available source detail is limited, so its specific imagery and full context are not fully documented here, and the work is best understood as part of the larger DAMAGED stencil grouping rather than as a fully described standalone image. Even so, its tie to a marquee exhibition and to Fairey's signature stencil language gives it meaningful standing for collectors following that period of his work.
Collector Perspective
Damaged Stencil Series suits collectors who follow Fairey's DAMAGED exhibition and value works connected to his stencil-rooted street-art origins. The signature and 18 x 24 inch offset format make it a displayable, recognizable Fairey object, and its edition of 400 places it in the moderate range. It appeals to collectors assembling a set around the DAMAGED period or around Fairey's stencil aesthetic. Because the source detail on the specific image is limited, it is best approached as part of the broader DAMAGED stencil grouping. It pairs naturally with other DAMAGED-era prints and Fairey's power and consumerism works.
Historical Context
Damaged Stencil Series belongs to Fairey's 2017 DAMAGED body of work, one of his most cohesive self-organized exhibition projects of the period. The stencil framing in its title ties it to the foundations of his practice in street art, translating that vocabulary into a signed, editioned offset lithograph. Within his arc, the work reflects the mature phase in which Fairey repeatedly connected his gallery output back to his guerrilla origins. The source documentation here is limited to production details, so its precise place within the DAMAGED stencil grouping is best understood through that exhibition association rather than a detailed image-specific record.
FAQ
What medium is Damaged Stencil Series?
It is an offset lithograph printed on cream paper, measuring 18 x 24 inches and signed by Shepard Fairey. It was published by Obey Giant in 2017 as a numbered edition of 400 priced at $160.
How does it relate to Fairey's DAMAGED work?
The title and stencil framing connect it to Fairey's 2017 DAMAGED project and its stencil-driven imagery. It is best understood as part of that broader body of work, which engaged media critique and Fairey's street-art roots.
How large is the edition?
Damaged Stencil Series is a numbered edition of 400, signed by Fairey. This places it in the moderate range for his editioned prints from this period.
Is detailed information available about the specific image?
The available source description is limited, covering edition, medium, dimensions, signature, and price but little about the specific image content. The work is best understood through its association with the larger DAMAGED stencil grouping.
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.