Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Wrong Path - Large Format (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
The Wrong Path print is a recognition of the challenges anyone championing environmental responsibility face as well as a comment on the potentially disastrous consequences of the shortsighted policies of Trump's current administration. The president pulled the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord and appointed Scott Pruitt as head of the Environmental Protection Agency when he had a record of opposing environmental regulation and suing the EPA! We need to consider the consequences of transferring the baggage of irresponsible environmental policies to future generations. – Shepard Wrong Path Large Format. 33.5 x 47.5 inches. 5 color #screenprint on cream 100% cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by #ShepardFairey. Numbered edition of 75. $900. #Obey publishing chop in lower left corner. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
Summary
Wrong Path - Large Format (First Edition) is a 2018 five-color screen print by Shepard Fairey, measuring 33.5 x 47.5 inches on cream 100% cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges. Published by Obey Giant, it is signed, numbered in an edition of 75, carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower left, and includes a Certificate of Authenticity. Per Fairey's statement, the image addresses the challenges of championing environmental responsibility and warns against shortsighted climate policy, referencing the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. It pairs OBEY iconography with an environmental message at large scale.
Why It Matters
Wrong Path - Large Format unites two of the strongest collecting drivers in Fairey's catalog: a pointed, well-documented political-environmental message and premium large-format production. In his own statement, Fairey frames the work as a response to the challenges facing environmental advocates and a critique of shortsighted climate policy, explicitly referencing the U.S. exit from the Paris Climate Accord and concerns about transferring irresponsible environmental policies to future generations. That clear artist commentary gives the piece unusual interpretive depth and ties it directly to a defining political moment. Produced as a five-color screen print at 33.5 x 47.5 inches on archival cotton paper with hand-deckled edges and limited to 75 signed, numbered impressions with a Certificate of Authenticity, it occupies the premium, collector-grade end of Fairey's output. The work also belongs to the recognizable Damaged-era large-format family alongside Ideal Power and Golden Future, making it a key node for collectors assembling that series. The combination of explicit environmental subject matter, documented artist intent, small edition, and imposing scale positions it among the more significant of Fairey's environmentally themed prints and a centerpiece for any climate-focused or activism-oriented Fairey collection.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors drawn to Fairey's environmental activism and to those who value documented artist statements, since the source preserves Fairey's own commentary on climate policy. Its 33.5 x 47.5-inch scale, five-color printing, archival cotton paper, hand-deckled edges, edition of 75, Obey chop, and Certificate of Authenticity make it a premium, display-forward acquisition. It fits naturally into a climate or activism-themed grouping and into the Damaged-era large-format series alongside Ideal Power and Golden Future. The strong message and low edition size suit committed collectors building a focused environmental holding, while the large scale makes it a commanding focal point rather than a supporting piece. Its explicit subject matter gives it lasting topical and historical resonance.
Historical Context
Released in March 2018, Wrong Path - Large Format follows a 2017 first edition of Wrong Path and belongs to the series of large-format prints tied to Fairey's Damaged-era body of work, alongside Ideal Power and Golden Future. The accompanying statement situates the piece firmly in the political climate of the Trump administration, citing the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord and the appointment of an EPA head with a record of opposing environmental regulation. This places the work within Fairey's long arc of environmental and politically engaged art, while its premium large-format production, five-color printing, archival materials, and small edition of 75 reflect the more ambitious gallery-oriented output he pursued during this period.
FAQ
What is the message behind Wrong Path?
Per Fairey's statement, the print recognizes the challenges faced by those championing environmental responsibility and comments on shortsighted climate policy. He cites the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord and warns against passing irresponsible environmental policies on to future generations.
What are the specifications of this edition?
It is a five-color screen print measuring 33.5 x 47.5 inches on cream 100% cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges, signed by Shepard Fairey and numbered in an edition of 75. It carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower left and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
How large is the edition?
This large-format first edition is limited to 75 numbered impressions, a small run that, combined with the scale and five-color printing, places it among Fairey's more collector-oriented and limited environmental works.
How does it fit with his other prints?
It follows a 2017 first edition of Wrong Path and belongs to the Damaged-era large-format series alongside Ideal Power and Golden Future, making it a natural companion piece for collectors building that group or an environmentally themed Fairey collection.
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.