Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “A Delicate Balance (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
In November 2015, Shepard Fairey unveiled a public art installation, a giant sphere suspended between the first and second tier of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, entitled "Earth Crisis." Designed in honor of the World Conference on Climate Change, the massive sphere was inscribed with a mandala-inspired design adorned with floral motifs. Embedded within the image are multiple shields, each representing threats to nature and reasons to respect it. Composed of environmentally themed graphics, the sphere was designed to raise awareness about issues like global warming and oil spills. This print, entitled "A Delicate Balance," reproduces a modified version of the spherical design used in the original Paris installation on view only one week after the terrorist attacks in Paris and coinciding with the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference known as COP21. Proceeds from A Delicate Balance will benefit 350.org to support their efforts to combat climate change. A Delicate Balance. Serigraph on 100% Cotton Custom Archival Paper with hand-deckled edges. 30 x 41 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 89. Comes with a certificate of authenticity. $900.
Summary
A Delicate Balance is a 2019 large-format Shepard Fairey serigraph published by Obey Giant, printed on 100% cotton custom archival paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 30 x 41 inches in a signed, numbered edition of 89 with a certificate of authenticity. It reproduces a modified version of the spherical, mandala-inspired design from Fairey's 2015 Earth Crisis installation, a giant sphere suspended in the Eiffel Tower for the World Conference on Climate Change. The floral, shield-laden composition represents threats to nature and reasons to respect it. The source notes proceeds benefit 350.org's climate efforts.
Why It Matters
A Delicate Balance carries the legacy of one of Fairey's most ambitious public artworks: the 2015 Earth Crisis sphere suspended in the Eiffel Tower for the World Conference on Climate Change, unveiled, per the source, only a week after the Paris terrorist attacks and coinciding with the COP21 climate conference. By reproducing a modified version of that mandala-inspired, floral design as a fine-art print, the work lets collectors own a piece tied to a landmark installation. The source describes the sphere's embedded shields as representing threats to nature and reasons to respect it, giving the decorative motif a layered environmental meaning. Issued as a 30 x 41-inch serigraph on cotton archival paper in an edition of just 89 with a certificate of authenticity, it sits in the premium tier of Fairey's catalog. For collectors, the combination of monumental public-art provenance, intricate mandala-and-floral composition, and a small documented edition makes it a centerpiece for environmental or decorative-symbolic groupings, with proceeds tied to 350.org reinforcing its activist intent.
Collector Perspective
A Delicate Balance appeals to collectors who value Fairey's mandala and floral symbolism, climate-themed work, and connections to his major public installations. With an edition of only 89 on cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges and a certificate of authenticity, it is a premium, provenance-rich acquisition, and its intricate spherical design is among his most decorative compositions, making it a striking 30 x 41 focal point. Its tie to the Eiffel Tower Earth Crisis installation adds strong narrative value. It fits an environmental or floral-symbolic collection and pairs naturally with Fairey's other climate and mandala works.
Historical Context
A Delicate Balance connects directly to Earth Crisis, the giant sphere Fairey suspended in the Eiffel Tower in November 2015 for the World Conference on Climate Change. The source notes the installation went on view only a week after the Paris terrorist attacks and coincided with COP21, embedding mandala-inspired, floral, and shield motifs symbolizing threats to nature. This 2019 print reproduces a modified version of that spherical design as a 30 x 41-inch fine-art serigraph, with proceeds benefiting 350.org. Within Fairey's arc, it documents how he translated a monumental climate-focused public installation into a collectible archival object while sustaining its environmental message into his later activist period.
FAQ
What installation is A Delicate Balance based on?
Per the source, it reproduces a modified version of the spherical design from Fairey's 2015 Earth Crisis installation, a giant mandala-inspired sphere suspended in the Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed in honor of the World Conference on Climate Change.
What is the edition size and format?
According to the source, it is a signed, numbered edition of 89 with a certificate of authenticity, produced as a large-format serigraph on 100% cotton custom archival paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 30 x 41 inches, published by Obey Giant in 2019.
What do the shields in the design represent?
The source explains the sphere's composition embeds multiple shields, each representing threats to nature and reasons to respect it, alongside floral motifs and environmentally themed graphics intended to raise awareness about issues like global warming and oil spills.
Does this print support a cause?
Per the source, proceeds from A Delicate Balance benefit 350.org to support their efforts to combat climate change, connecting the print's environmental imagery to organized climate activism.
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.