Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Floral Harmony (Dark Blue Yin/Yang)”?
Artist Statement
I'm always creating new patterns to use in my street installs and fine art pieces. I used to buy discontinued wallpaper to incorporate patterns into my art, but now I design and print my own. I think these look nice as stand alone prints, not just repeat patterns, so I'm releasing a 100 print edition of eight versions. I'm happy with the blue variations that make sense with the expanded color palette of my more recent art. There will be a few of the full matching numbered sets (all eight prints) available at a lower price per print as well. -Shepard Floral Harmony. Silkscreen on cream Speckle Tone Paper. 18 x 24 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 100. Limited quantities of the FULL set (all eight prints) will be sold at a discounted price of $280. PAIRS of each colorway will be sold for $90: Dark Blue Yin/Yang, Light Blue Yin/Yang, Black Yin/Yang, Red Yin/Yang.
Summary
Floral Harmony (Dark Blue Yin/Yang) is a 2020 Shepard Fairey silkscreen on cream Speckle Tone paper, 18 x 24 inches, in a signed, numbered edition of 100, published by Obey Giant. It is part of an eight-version release of decorative pattern prints, with pairs of each colorway sold for $90 and limited full matching sets of all eight offered at a discount. The source explains Fairey designs and prints his own patterns, previously sourcing discontinued wallpaper, and presents these as standalone prints rather than only repeat patterns.
Why It Matters
Floral Harmony showcases the decorative, pattern-driven side of Fairey's practice that underpins much of his street and fine-art work. The source explains that he constantly creates new patterns for installs and fine-art pieces, once buying discontinued wallpaper and now designing and printing his own, and decided these read well as standalone prints rather than only as repeat patterns. Released as an eight-version set including this Dark Blue Yin/Yang colorway, it reflects his interest in an expanded, blue-inflected palette in his more recent art. With a tight edition of 100 per print and the option of full matching numbered sets, the release rewards collectors who value coherence across colorways. While less message-driven than his political work, Floral Harmony documents the ornamental vocabulary that gives his iconographic and activist prints their distinctive backgrounds, making it a meaningful look at the design foundations of his broader catalog and an accessible, display-friendly piece in its own right.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors who appreciate Fairey's decorative patterning and want an elegant, less overtly political piece for display. The yin/yang motif and blue palette give it a calm, balanced aesthetic that suits a wide range of interiors, and the 18 x 24 inch size frames easily. The edition of 100 makes it more limited than many of his larger runs, and the availability of full eight-print matching sets appeals to completist collectors who want a coordinated grouping. The pair pricing structure also makes it approachable. It fits a floral or pattern-focused Fairey collection and pairs naturally with his other deco floral pattern prints for a cohesive decorative wall.
Historical Context
Floral Harmony belongs to Fairey's ongoing pattern and decorative work, a thread that long predates this 2020 release through his use of wallpaper-derived motifs in street installs and fine-art backgrounds. The source notes his shift from buying discontinued wallpaper to designing and printing his own patterns, and his embrace of an expanded blue color palette in recent work, both reflected in this eight-version set. Presenting these patterns as standalone prints rather than only repeat backgrounds marks a deliberate framing of the decorative as fine art. Within his catalog it represents the ornamental foundation that recurs beneath his iconographic and political imagery, here foregrounded as the subject itself.
FAQ
What is Floral Harmony (Dark Blue Yin/Yang)?
It is a 2020 Shepard Fairey silkscreen on cream Speckle Tone paper, measuring 18 x 24 inches, in a signed, numbered edition of 100. It is the Dark Blue Yin/Yang colorway within an eight-version decorative pattern release published by Obey Giant.
How many versions and what are the pricing options?
The source describes an eight-version release. Pairs of each colorway were sold for $90, and limited quantities of the full set of all eight prints were offered at a discounted price of $280.
Why did Fairey make these pattern prints?
Fairey explains he constantly creates new patterns for his street installs and fine-art pieces. He once bought discontinued wallpaper for patterns but now designs and prints his own, and felt these worked well as standalone prints, not just repeat patterns.
What is the edition size and medium?
It is a silkscreen on cream Speckle Tone paper in a numbered edition of 100, signed by Shepard Fairey, measuring 18 x 24 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.