Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Yellow Mandala (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
LIMITED EDITION PRINT BY SHEPARD FAIREY IN HONOR OF JOHN LEGEND'S HEAVEN For several years, I’ve had the privilege of working with Jennifer Howell and The Art of Elysium, a non-profit organization that encourages working actors, artists, and musicians to volunteer their time and talent to help those in need through art and creativity. In honor of the great work they're doing with this year's #HEAVEN initiative, I created a print that symbolizes peace and harmony, two concepts this dedicated organization and I both champion. I hope we can each have the vision to make great things in this world, and together find harmony to inspire all to imagine a better world, and work with them to create it. Thanks for caring. - Shepard Fairey Yellow Mandala. 30 x 30 inches. Screenprint on white 100% cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 150. $250.
Summary
Yellow Mandala is a 2018 Shepard Fairey screen print published in support of The Art of Elysium, measuring 30 x 30 inches on white 100% cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges. Created in honor of John Legend's Heaven and the organization's #HEAVEN initiative, the symmetrical mandala composition symbolizes peace and harmony. Fairey describes hoping to inspire a shared vision of a better world. The work was signed by the artist and released as a numbered edition of 150 at an original price of $250. Its square format and radial design distinguish it from his portrait-based prints.
Why It Matters
Yellow Mandala stands out in Fairey's catalog for its purely symbolic, non-figurative composition and its charitable origins. Created in honor of John Legend's Heaven for The Art of Elysium's #HEAVEN initiative, a non-profit that encourages artists and musicians to share their talent with people in need, the print embodies Fairey's recurring engagement with cause-driven editions. The radial mandala form is deliberately meditative, chosen to symbolize peace and harmony rather than to deliver pointed political critique, marking a softer, more contemplative register within his output. For collectors, its larger 30 x 30 inch square format, premium 100% cotton archival paper, and hand-deckled edges give it a more refined, fine-art presentation than many of his standard editions. The notably smaller numbered edition of 150 makes it scarcer than the typical Obey Giant release, and its connection to a music-world charity initiative broadens its appeal beyond his core political collectors. The mandala motif, which Fairey returns to across his decorative and harmony-themed works, anchors the piece in a distinct sub-current of his practice focused on unity and aspiration rather than confrontation.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who favor Fairey's decorative, harmony-focused, and mandala-based works over his political pieces, as well as those drawn to charity-linked editions. Its large 30 x 30 inch square format, premium cotton archival paper, and hand-deckled edges make it a statement display piece with a fine-art feel. The smaller numbered edition of 150 gives it added appeal for collectors who weigh scarcity. Buyers interested in the intersection of art and music, given its connection to John Legend's Heaven and The Art of Elysium, may value it as a crossover piece. Its meditative, non-figurative design suits a wide range of interiors and pairs well with other mandala or floral works in a collection.
Historical Context
Released in February 2018, Yellow Mandala was published not by Obey Giant but in honor of The Art of Elysium, the non-profit founded by Jennifer Howell, as part of its #HEAVEN initiative tied to John Legend's Heaven. The piece reflects Fairey's long-running practice of donating his work and talent to causes, a constant throughout his career. Within his arc, it represents the mandala and harmony strand of his output, a more decorative and contemplative mode that runs parallel to his political prints. By 2018 Fairey was frequently producing benefit editions, and this larger, premium-format mandala underscores his ability to translate his graphic vocabulary into purely symbolic, unity-driven imagery.
FAQ
Why was Yellow Mandala created?
Fairey made the print in honor of John Legend's Heaven and The Art of Elysium's #HEAVEN initiative. The Art of Elysium is a non-profit that encourages actors, artists, and musicians to volunteer their time and talent to help those in need through art and creativity. The mandala symbolizes peace and harmony.
What is the edition size and price?
Yellow Mandala was released as a numbered edition of 150, signed by Shepard Fairey, at an original price of $250. The relatively small edition makes it scarcer than many of his standard releases from this period.
What are the dimensions and materials?
The print measures 30 x 30 inches and is a screen print on white 100% cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges. The large square format and premium paper give it a refined, fine-art presentation distinct from his smaller portrait editions.
How does it differ from Fairey's political work?
Unlike his pointed political prints, Yellow Mandala is a non-figurative, symbolic composition meant to express peace and harmony. It belongs to the decorative, contemplative mandala strand of his practice and was tied to a music-world charity initiative rather than to a political cause.
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.