Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Obey Printing Press”?
Artist Statement
Obey Printing Press. 10 x 13 inches. Letterpress on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 450. $65. Obey publishing chop in lower left corner.
Summary
Obey Printing Press is a 2018 Shepard Fairey letterpress print published by Obey Giant, measuring 10 x 13 inches on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. The image centers on a printing press motif tied to Fairey's OBEY iconography and his roots in print production. It was signed by the artist, carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower-left corner, and was released as a numbered edition of 450 at an original price of $65. The compact letterpress format emphasizes craft, tactile paper, and Fairey's recurring graphic-design vocabulary.
Why It Matters
Obey Printing Press is a self-referential work that celebrates the printing process at the heart of Fairey's practice. The printing press is both subject and method here: a letterpress edition about printmaking itself, complete with hand-deckled edges and the Obey publishing chop, signaling its provenance as an Obey Giant production. For collectors, that meta quality makes it a meaningful piece, an emblem of Fairey's identity as a printmaker and propagandist of his own iconography. The letterpress technique, distinct from his more common screen prints, gives the work a tactile, craft-forward character prized by those who appreciate process and materials. Its small 10 x 13 inch scale and intimate format make it a connoisseur's piece rather than a wall-dominating statement. Within the OBEY iconography lineage, it reinforces the brand-and-image system Fairey has built since the late 1980s, where the act of mass-producing imagery is itself part of the message. As a numbered edition of 450 issued at an accessible price, it offers an affordable, technically distinctive entry into his catalog for those drawn to the mechanics and symbolism of printing.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who value letterpress craft, process-driven works, and the OBEY iconography that defines Fairey's brand. The tactile cotton paper, hand-deckled edges, and Obey publishing chop appeal to buyers who appreciate the materiality of fine printmaking over large-format display impact. Its compact 10 x 13 inch size makes it ideal for intimate framing or a grouping of smaller letterpress editions. Collectors assembling a set of Fairey's letterpress works, or those who want a piece that nods directly to his printmaking identity, will find it especially fitting. As a signed, numbered edition issued at a modest price, it is an approachable acquisition that rewards close looking.
Historical Context
Released in January 2018 through Obey Giant, Obey Printing Press belongs to a series of letterpress editions Fairey produced that foreground craft and the mechanics of printing. The work is self-referential, pointing back to the foundations of his career as an image-maker who built the OBEY phenomenon through relentless production and distribution of printed material. Letterpress pieces like this one sit alongside his screen prints as a quieter, more process-focused strand of his output. By 2018, Fairey was well established as an artist who treats printmaking and the dissemination of imagery as central to his message, and this print distills that ethos into its very subject, celebrating the press itself.
FAQ
What printing method was used for this work?
Obey Printing Press is a letterpress print on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. This differs from Fairey's more common screen prints and gives the piece a tactile, craft-forward quality. It also carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower-left corner, marking its production by Obey Giant.
What is the edition size and price?
The work was published by Obey Giant as a numbered edition of 450 and was signed by Shepard Fairey. It was issued at an original price of $65, making it an accessible, technically distinctive entry in his catalog.
What are the dimensions?
Obey Printing Press measures 10 x 13 inches, a compact format well suited to intimate framing. The smaller scale and hand-deckled edges emphasize the craft and materiality of the letterpress process rather than large-scale wall impact.
What does the print reference?
The work centers on a printing press, a self-referential nod to Fairey's identity as a printmaker who built the OBEY phenomenon through the production and distribution of printed imagery. It celebrates the act and machinery of printing that is central to his practice.
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.