Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Rebirth”?
Artist Statement
An 18"x24" (SIGNED + NUMBERED EDITION of 450) silkscreen print on thick speckle tone cream paper featuring renowned Sikh activist, filmmaker, and civil rights lawyer, Valarie Kaur of the Revolutionary Love Project, by Shepard Fairey will be given to anyone who donates $100 to help us move activism through art.
Summary
Rebirth is a 2021 screen print by Shepard Fairey featuring Valarie Kaur, described as a renowned Sikh activist, filmmaker, and civil rights lawyer of the Revolutionary Love Project. Measuring 18 x 24 inches and printed on thick speckletone cream paper, it was offered to donors giving $100 to support moving activism through art. Published by the Amplifier Foundation in a signed and numbered edition of 450, it released January 21, 2021. The print pairs Fairey's portrait style with a contemporary civil-rights figure as part of a fundraising effort.
Why It Matters
Rebirth is notable for its publisher and fundraising mechanism as much as its imagery. Issued through the Amplifier Foundation rather than Obey Giant, it ties Fairey's portraiture directly to a donation-driven model, given to those contributing $100 to support activism through art. Its subject, Valarie Kaur, a Sikh activist, filmmaker, and civil rights lawyer of the Revolutionary Love Project, expands the roster of contemporary changemakers Fairey has elevated through his portrait practice, foregrounding a figure outside the usual canon of political icons. That choice reflects his interest in spotlighting living organizers and the broad coalition of voices in the justice movement. The collaborative, foundation-backed origin distinguishes it from his standard store releases and connects it to Amplifier's mission of art as a tool for social change. With a tight signed-and-numbered edition of 450, the print offers collectors a portrait of a specific, identifiable activist rather than a generic symbol, deepening its documentary and human-rights resonance. For Gauntlet Gallery audiences, it represents the philanthropic, partnership-driven strand of Fairey's work, where the act of acquiring the print was itself an act of support.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors drawn to Fairey's activist portraits and to the Amplifier Foundation's mission-driven editions. Featuring Valarie Kaur, it suits buyers who value portraits of living, identifiable changemakers and the stories behind them, including those interested in Sikh representation and the Revolutionary Love movement. At 18 x 24 inches it is an approachable, framable size that pairs well with Fairey's other justice portraits. Because it was issued to donors supporting activism through art, it carries a built-in philanthropic provenance that resonates with values-oriented collectors. Its signed-and-numbered edition of 450 makes it a relatively contained run within a focused civil-rights collection, and its Amplifier Foundation origin differentiates it from standard Obey Giant store releases for collectors tracking Fairey's collaborative output.
Historical Context
Released in January 2021 through the Amplifier Foundation, Rebirth belongs to Fairey's extensive body of activist portraiture and to his recurring collaborations with organizations using art for social change. Amplifier is known for distributing protest and movement imagery, and this print extends Fairey's long relationship with cause-driven distribution models. Choosing Valarie Kaur as the subject situates the work within his practice of elevating contemporary civil-rights leaders rather than only historical figures. It arrives amid his dense slate of 2020 and 2021 justice-themed editions, complementing store releases with a foundation-backed, donation-based piece. The work reflects how Fairey's portraiture functions not just as imagery but as a fundraising and awareness tool, a consistent thread across his civil-rights output of this era.
FAQ
Who is featured in Rebirth?
The print features Valarie Kaur, described in the source as a renowned Sikh activist, filmmaker, and civil rights lawyer of the Revolutionary Love Project.
Who published this print and how was it distributed?
It was published by the Amplifier Foundation and given to anyone who donated $100 to help move activism through art, making the acquisition part of a fundraising effort rather than a standard store sale.
What are the size and edition details?
It is an 18 x 24 inch silkscreen print on thick speckletone cream paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 450 by Shepard Fairey. It released on January 21, 2021.
What medium is the print?
According to the source, it is a silkscreen (screen print) on thick speckletone cream paper.
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.