Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Rise From The Ashes (Black)”?
Artist Statement
Edition of 89 2 colour screen print with ash from Iraqi Kurdistan 106.5 x 74 cm signed and numbered by artist I'm very pleased to support Migrate Art because I believe in the mission to support refugees and those made vulnerable by war and unrest. My 'Rise From the Ashes' dove screen print incorporates ash from burnt crop fields in Iraq into the black ink. I love the dove as a symbol of peace, but in these prints the doves are not white, but black and red, relating more to the concept of a phoenix rising from the flames of destruction. Art can encourage compassion, lift the spirit, and heal through material benefit to a worthy cause, all of which I hope these prints can help to foster. Shepard Fairey
Summary
Rise From The Ashes (Black) is a 2020 screen print published by Migrate Art, issued in an edition of 89 at 106.5 x 74 cm, signed and numbered by Shepard Fairey. The two-color print incorporates ash from burnt crop fields in Iraqi Kurdistan mixed into the black ink. Fairey depicts his dove, a recurring peace symbol, but here rendered in black and red to evoke a phoenix rising from destruction rather than a traditional white dove. The work supports Migrate Art's mission to aid refugees and people made vulnerable by war and unrest, framing art as a vehicle for compassion and material benefit to that cause.
Why It Matters
Rise From The Ashes stands out for its materially charged concept: the black ink contains actual ash from burnt crop fields in Iraqi Kurdistan, embedding the subject of war and displacement into the physical substance of the print. This literal use of conflict-derived material is rare in Fairey's catalog and gives the work conceptual depth beyond imagery. Fairey reworks his familiar dove, normally a clean symbol of peace, into a black-and-red phoenix motif that signals resilience emerging from destruction. The release supports Migrate Art and its mission to aid refugees and those harmed by war, tying the piece directly to humanitarian advocacy. For collectors, the very small edition of 89 and the large 106.5 x 74 cm format make it among the scarcer and more imposing works in this group. Its combination of an activist cause, a conceptually loaded material process, and a reinterpreted signature symbol gives it strong significance for collectors of Fairey's peace and human-rights work, and for those who value the rarer publisher collaborations outside his core Obey Giant releases.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors of Fairey's peace, anti-war, and human-rights themes, and to those drawn to conceptually distinctive works. The ash-infused ink and the phoenix reinterpretation of the dove make it a talking-point centerpiece rather than a routine print. Its large 106.5 x 74 cm scale gives it commanding wall presence, suiting collectors who want a statement piece. At an edition of just 89 it is notably scarce, which heightens appeal for those prioritizing limited runs. The Migrate Art publisher tie and refugee-support mission add meaning for socially minded buyers. Collectors who follow Fairey's dove iconography will value this as a rare, materially loaded variant of that recurring symbol.
Historical Context
Published in 2020 by Migrate Art rather than Obey Giant, this print reflects Fairey's ongoing engagement with peace and anti-war themes and his willingness to lend his imagery to humanitarian causes. It continues his decades-long use of the dove as a peace symbol, here transformed into a black-and-red phoenix to address war's destruction and the resilience of those displaced by it. The incorporation of ash from Iraqi Kurdistan situates the work within a specific conflict context and aligns with Migrate Art's mission to support refugees. Within Fairey's arc, it exemplifies his collaborations with cause-driven publishers and his recurring framing of art as a tool for compassion and tangible benefit to vulnerable communities.
FAQ
What makes the ink in this print unusual?
The two-color screen print incorporates ash from burnt crop fields in Iraqi Kurdistan mixed into the black ink. This embeds material from a war-affected region directly into the work, reinforcing its themes of destruction, resilience, and support for those harmed by conflict.
Why are the doves black and red instead of white?
Fairey explains that while he loves the dove as a symbol of peace, in these prints the doves are black and red to relate more to a phoenix rising from the flames of destruction, emphasizing resilience emerging from war and unrest rather than a conventional peace image.
What is the edition size and dimensions?
It is an edition of 89, measuring 106.5 x 74 cm, signed and numbered by the artist. Published by Migrate Art in 2020, it is one of the larger and scarcer works in this group of releases.
What cause does this print support?
It supports Migrate Art, whose mission, as described in the source, is to support refugees and those made vulnerable by war and unrest. Fairey frames the work as a way for art to encourage compassion and provide material benefit to a worthy cause.
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.