Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Exclamation”?
Artist Statement
The evolution of Andre produced the simplified Obey icon face, the Obey star, and the Obey red box logo, which was inspired by the work of Barbara Kruger. These icons, along with various elements from the original sticker, became the building blocks of Shepard Fairey's visual repertoire. Their repeated incorporation into the artwork is to mimic the strategic mechanism used by brands and advertising. The use of arrows and exclamation marks surrounding the Obey Icon Face in "Exclamation" borrows from the Russian Constructivist, Aleksander Rodchenko. Fairey was attracted to the idea of making an image look, "more important than it really is," by using devices from potent propaganda. Description according to "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" co-curator, Pedro Alonzo. Exclamation. Serigraph on Coventry Rag, 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
Exclamation is a 2019 Shepard Fairey screen print, a serigraph on 100% cotton Coventry Rag archival paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 30 x 41 inches. The composition centers the OBEY Icon Face surrounded by arrows and exclamation marks, borrowing the dynamic graphic devices of Russian Constructivist Aleksander Rodchenko. The work draws on Fairey's core visual repertoire built from the original Andre sticker, the OBEY star, and the red box logo inspired by Barbara Kruger, deliberately mimicking the strategic mechanisms of brands and advertising to make an image appear more important than it really is. Issued as a signed, numbered edition of 89, it comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Why It Matters
Exclamation distills the central idea behind Fairey's entire OBEY project: the use of propaganda and advertising devices to manufacture a sense of importance. By surrounding the OBEY Icon Face with arrows and exclamation marks lifted from Russian Constructivist Aleksander Rodchenko, the print openly stages the very mechanism it critiques, making an image look, in Fairey's words, more important than it really is. The curatorial framing by co-curator Pedro Alonzo ties it to the lineage of the original Andre sticker, the OBEY star, and the Barbara Kruger-inspired red box logo, the building blocks of Fairey's visual language. For collectors, this makes Exclamation a kind of thesis statement in print form, valuable for its clarity about the OBEY methodology rather than for any single political subject. The large-format scale and archival cotton paper place it among the more substantial OBEY-iconography releases of 2019. It rewards collectors who appreciate the conceptual underpinnings of Fairey's work and the art-historical references to Constructivism and Kruger that inform his graphic strategy, offering a strong anchor piece for an OBEY-focused collection.
Collector Perspective
Exclamation is a natural fit for collectors who prioritize OBEY iconography and the conceptual core of Fairey's practice. Its explicit nod to Russian Constructivism and Barbara Kruger gives it art-historical depth that appeals to buyers who value the theory behind the imagery. The large 30 x 41-inch format and hand-deckled archival paper make it a striking, graphic-forward wall piece that pairs well with other Icon Face and OBEY-star works. The edition of 89 with certificate of authenticity marks it as a premium release. It suits collectors building a focused OBEY set or anyone wanting a single work that visually summarizes Fairey's propaganda-as-method approach.
Historical Context
Exclamation was released in 2019 alongside Fairey's "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" period, and its curatorial description by co-curator Pedro Alonzo situates it within a retrospective look at the OBEY project. The print foregrounds the evolution from the original Andre the Giant sticker into the simplified Icon Face, the OBEY star, and the Kruger-inspired red box logo, the elements that became Fairey's recurring visual building blocks. Its borrowing from Aleksander Rodchenko connects it to the Constructivist propaganda tradition that has long informed Fairey's graphic language. Within his arc, Exclamation belongs to a mature, self-referential phase in which Fairey explicitly examines the advertising and propaganda strategies underpinning his own iconography, rather than deploying them on a specific political subject.
FAQ
What is Exclamation?
Exclamation is a 2019 Shepard Fairey screen print, a serigraph on 100% cotton Coventry Rag archival paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 30 x 41 inches. It centers the OBEY Icon Face surrounded by arrows and exclamation marks, signed by Fairey in a numbered edition of 89 with a certificate of authenticity.
What artistic influences shaped the design?
The arrows and exclamation marks around the Icon Face borrow from Russian Constructivist Aleksander Rodchenko, while the OBEY red box logo referenced in the work was inspired by Barbara Kruger. Fairey uses these devices to make an image look more important than it really is, mimicking the strategies of brands and advertising.
How large is the edition?
Exclamation was published by Obey Giant in 2019 as a signed, numbered edition of 89. Each print is signed by Shepard Fairey and comes with a certificate of authenticity, per the release details.
What are its dimensions and medium?
It is a serigraph (screen print) on Coventry Rag 100% cotton custom archival paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 30 x 41 inches.
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.