Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Hello My Name Is”?
Artist Statement
I have been looking back through art and photos from my 30 year history as I work on the art for my "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" show and I was inspired to make a painting and print inspired by a photo I took of a "Hello My Name Is" paste-up I did in SOHO NYC back in early 1996. At that time I was still living in Providence, R.I. running my screen printing studio, barely scraping by financially. I was desperately trying to survive but also kept putting my imagery up in the streets. I had recently fallen in love with Russian Constructivist design, which along with Barbara Kruger's art, and much of American advertising, used primarily red, black, and white, so I began designing in those colors to keep my art cost-effective and visually cohesive. I was screen printing posters in red and black ink on white paper, but I was ecstatic when a friend and 'zine maker Ben Woodward taught me how to rig the copiers at Kinko's (now known as FedEx Office) with a paperclip to yield free copies. The Kinko's near my apartment in Providence had copiers with a red toner cartridge AND a black toner cartridge… meaning that I could make 11x17 inch red and black mini-posters free if I was stealth about it. The "Hello My Name Is" paste-up in this print is one of those 11x17 copies and was inspired by the pervasive use of "Hello My Name Is" stickers with tags on them by graffiti writers. I loved all the graffiti and stickers in NYC, so this paste-up was a tribute to that world and one of my last images using the O.G. Giant face as I was transitioning to the Icon Face and Star as my main iconography. I threw a couple of other early images of mine in for extra texture and flavor. - Shepard? ?????????? Hello My Name Is. Screenprint on cream Speckletone paper. 18 x 24 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. $45.
Summary
Hello My Name Is is a 2019 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant on cream Speckletone paper, measuring 18 x 24 inches in a signed, numbered edition of 550. The image revisits a 1996 'Hello My Name Is' paste-up Fairey created in SoHo, New York, reproduced from one of his early red-and-black mini-posters. Built in the red, black, and white palette inspired by Russian Constructivism and Barbara Kruger, it incorporates the original Giant face alongside other early images for texture. The print was made in connection with his Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent retrospective and documents his transition toward the Icon Face and Star.
Why It Matters
This print is a self-referential look back at the roots of the OBEY project, making it especially meaningful within Fairey's iconography. The source explains it reproduces a 1996 SoHo paste-up built from a free red-and-black Kinko's copy, and that it features one of his last uses of the original Giant face before he adopted the Icon Face and Star. That transitional status gives the work documentary value: it captures a hinge moment in the visual identity Fairey is best known for. Tied to his Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent show, it functions as both an artwork and a piece of personal history, nodding to graffiti sticker culture and the punk-era resourcefulness that shaped his early career. The Constructivist-inspired red, black, and white palette connects it to a recurring design language he credits to influences like Barbara Kruger and American advertising. For collectors of OBEY-origin material, it offers a rare combination of nostalgic subject matter and the visual cohesion of his signature palette in an accessible signed edition.
Collector Perspective
Hello My Name Is suits collectors drawn to OBEY origins, street-art history, and Fairey's signature red-black-white palette. Its small 18 x 24 format and accessible original price make it an easy acquisition, while its tie to the Facing the Giant retrospective and the original Giant face gives it narrative weight for dedicated fans. The Constructivist-inspired graphic and sticker-culture reference display well in groupings of early-iconography works. It fits naturally into an OBEY Icon collection, especially for buyers who want a piece that explicitly documents the moment Fairey transitioned from the original Giant face toward the Icon Face and Star.
Historical Context
The print directly engages Fairey's own history, reproducing a 1996 paste-up from his early days running a screen-printing studio in Providence and putting work up in New York streets. The source recounts adopting a red, black, and white palette inspired by Russian Constructivism and Barbara Kruger, and making free 11x17 red-and-black copies at Kinko's. It marks one of his last uses of the original Giant face before shifting to the Icon Face and Star, placing it at a documented turning point in OBEY's visual identity. Released alongside his Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent retrospective, it functions as a 2019 reflection on three decades of street-based practice and the graffiti and sticker culture that influenced it.
FAQ
What is this print based on?
Per the source, it reproduces a 'Hello My Name Is' paste-up Fairey made in SoHo, New York in early 1996, taken from one of the free red-and-black 11x17 copies he printed at Kinko's. It pays tribute to the graffiti and sticker culture he encountered in New York.
Why is the original Giant face significant here?
Fairey states this is one of his last images using the original Giant face, made as he transitioned to the Icon Face and Star as his main iconography. That makes the print a documented marker of a turning point in the OBEY visual identity.
What are the size, medium, and edition?
According to the source, it is a screen print on cream Speckletone paper measuring 18 x 24 inches, signed by Shepard Fairey and numbered in an edition of 550. It was published by Obey Giant in 2019 at an original price of $45.
How does it relate to the Facing the Giant show?
Fairey says he made the painting and print while reviewing art and photos for his Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent exhibition, drawing on his 30-year history. The print emerged directly from that retrospective reflection.
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.