Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Embrace Justice”?
Artist Statement
I had a great experience collaborating with photographer Arlene Mejorado on the "Defend Dignity" art for Amplifier's WE THE PEOPLE campaign, so I was excited to work with her again on art for my show DAMAGED. Arlene shared some other photos including one of her friend William C. Anderson holding up a flower. I really liked the peaceful photo as a counter-point to the fear-mongering around Black Lives Matter and the subtle and overt racism toward African Americans in general. We need to move forward and embrace justice and equality rather than moving backward by stoking hate and division. Thanks for caring! – Shepard The portrait I made is of my friend William C. Anderson, a writer and activist from Birmingham, Alabama. He is the co-author of As Black as Resistance (AK Press.) In Anderson's words, "We have to embrace our understanding of what's good for us rather than accept the terms issued by those who can't possibly comprehend our interests because they don't share our lived experiences." To me, embracing justice is having the power to define our destiny and build the world we want to live in; it is to be an accomplice to movements that push for liberation. Uprooting oppressive institutions that undermine people's wellbeing is the inevitable means to the substantial evolution needed for real progress. Love, compassion, and self-determination are at the heart of justice and liberation both, which should flourish to our benefit. – Arlene Embrace Justice. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Arlene Mejorado. Numbered edition of 475. $75.
Summary
Embrace Justice is a 2018 Shepard Fairey screen print created in collaboration with photographer Arlene Mejorado, measuring 18 x 24 inches on cream Speckletone paper. It portrays writer and activist William C. Anderson, of Birmingham, Alabama, holding a flower, a peaceful counterpoint to fear and division around racial justice. Made for Fairey's DAMAGED show, the work centers on embracing justice, equality, and self-determination. It was signed by both Shepard Fairey and Arlene Mejorado and published by Obey Giant in a numbered edition of 475. This entry is the Artist Proof, part of an edition that also included a First Edition.
Why It Matters
Embrace Justice is notable for its dual authorship and its source: a photograph by Arlene Mejorado, with whom Fairey had previously collaborated on the 'Defend Dignity' image for Amplifier's We the People campaign. The portrait depicts William C. Anderson, co-author of As Black as Resistance, holding up a flower, a deliberately gentle image Fairey describes as a counterpoint to fear-mongering around Black Lives Matter and racism toward African Americans. The accompanying statement from Mejorado frames justice as the power to define one's own destiny and to be an accomplice to movements for liberation. That layered authorship, an activist subject, a documentary photographer, and Fairey's graphic translation, gives the print unusual depth and a clear place in his civil-rights body of work. As both a collaboration and a portrait, it represents the intersection of Fairey's street-art-derived style with real activist voices. The Artist Proof designation adds a layer of collectibility for those who prioritize proofs, while the work's explicit message of love, compassion, and self-determination anchors it firmly within his justice-themed output of the late 2010s.
Collector Perspective
This print draws collectors focused on civil-rights and social-justice imagery, as well as those who value collaborative works and named-subject portraits. The depiction of activist William C. Anderson, paired with photographer Arlene Mejorado's voice, gives the piece documentary weight that many buyers prize over purely decorative pieces. Artist Proofs typically attract collectors who seek the proof tier within an edition. At 18 x 24 inches on cream Speckletone stock, it displays comfortably alongside other DAMAGED-era and justice-themed Fairey works. The flower-and-portrait composition offers a calmer visual register than his more confrontational propaganda pieces, making it a versatile anchor for a justice-focused grouping.
Historical Context
Embrace Justice dates to January 2018, produced for Fairey's DAMAGED exhibition, a period in which he leaned heavily into collaboration and direct engagement with activists and photographers. It extends his relationship with Arlene Mejorado, begun on the Amplifier We the People campaign, and reflects his ongoing practice of building portraits from documentary photography of real organizers and writers. Within his arc, the work belongs to a sustained civil-rights and justice thread that runs through the 2010s, emphasizing dignity, self-determination, and resistance to racism. The inclusion of activist William C. Anderson, co-author of As Black as Resistance, situates the print in Fairey's broader effort to amplify contemporary Black liberation voices through accessible printed art.
FAQ
Who is depicted in Embrace Justice?
The portrait is of William C. Anderson, a writer and activist from Birmingham, Alabama, and co-author of As Black as Resistance. He is shown holding up a flower, an image Fairey chose as a peaceful counterpoint to fear and division surrounding racial justice and Black Lives Matter.
Who collaborated on this print?
The work was created with photographer Arlene Mejorado, whose photograph of Anderson is the basis for the portrait. Fairey had previously worked with her on the 'Defend Dignity' image for Amplifier's We the People campaign. The print is signed by both Shepard Fairey and Arlene Mejorado.
What is the edition size and format?
Embrace Justice was published by Obey Giant in a numbered edition of 475. It measures 18 x 24 inches and is a screen print on cream Speckletone paper. This particular entry is the Artist Proof; the release also included a First Edition.
What show is the print connected to?
Fairey created the art for his DAMAGED exhibition. He describes embracing justice as having the power to define one's destiny and to be an accomplice to movements pushing for liberation, with love, compassion, and self-determination at the heart of the message.
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.