Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Monkey Pod (Green VSE (Variable Stencil Edition))”?
Artist Statement
I originally made the Monkey Pod image based on a tree on the grounds of The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, where I completed a residency back in 2005. I was presented with a unique conundrum: Hawaii doesn't have outdoor advertising, which my street art was designed to compete with and make people question. After visiting Hawaii, I realized that the primary form of propaganda was not advertising but the clichés of Hawaii itself: Coke machines have palm trees instead of Coke logos on them, phone booths have floral patterns running down the side, and everyone wears Aloha shirts. All the clichés of Hawaii's picturesque beauty are perpetuated to encourage tourism. However, for once, I got to make art that was decorative, beautiful, and a celebration of nature while still incorporating my iconography in a conceptually, if not visually incongruous, way. – Shepard Monkey Pod Green VSE. 26.5 x 20.5 inches. Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) on Paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 20. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. $3000. Hecho Con Ganas Publishing Chop in lower left corner. Monkey Pod Red & Gold VSE. 26.5 x 20.5 inches. Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) on Paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 20. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. $3500. Hecho Con Ganas Publishing Chop in lower left corner.
Summary
Monkey Pod (Green VSE) is a 2021 Variable Stencil Edition on paper, 26.5 x 20.5 inches, in a signed, numbered edition of 20, published by Obey Giant. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and bears the Hecho Con Ganas Publishing Chop in the lower left corner; the original price was $3000. The image derives from a monkey pod tree on the grounds of The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, where Fairey completed a residency in 2005. He describes it as a chance to make decorative, beautiful art celebrating nature while still incorporating his OBEY iconography, given Hawaii's ban on outdoor advertising.
Why It Matters
Monkey Pod stands apart in Fairey's catalog as an avowedly decorative, nature-celebrating work, and this Green VSE is among its most exclusive forms. As a hand-painted Variable Stencil Edition limited to just 20 numbered pieces, each example carries the variability and labor of stencil work rather than the uniformity of a standard screen print, and it ships with a Certificate of Authenticity and the Hecho Con Ganas Publishing Chop. The image's origin gives it conceptual depth: Fairey explains that Hawaii's absence of outdoor advertising, the very thing his street art was built to compete with, left him confronting the clichés of Hawaii itself as the dominant propaganda, from palm-tree Coke machines to floral phone booths. In response he allowed himself to make work that is beautiful and decorative while still embedding his iconography in a conceptually incongruous way. For collectors, the combination of a tiny VSE edition, hand-painted execution, COA, publishing chop, and a thoughtful origin story rooted in his 2005 Honolulu residency makes this a high-tier, distinctive piece that diverges from his more overtly political output.
Collector Perspective
This piece targets serious collectors seeking scarce, hand-finished Fairey works rather than open or large-edition screen prints. With only 20 numbered examples, a Certificate of Authenticity, and the Hecho Con Ganas Publishing Chop, the Green VSE is a premium acquisition, reflected in its $3000 original price. Its decorative, nature-forward composition makes it unusually versatile for display, appealing to collectors who want a Fairey work that reads as fine art first and political statement second. The Variable Stencil Edition format means each piece carries subtle hand-painted variation, adding individuality prized by advanced collectors. It fits collections centered on Fairey's OBEY iconography, his Hawaii residency, or his scarcer hand-painted multiples.
Historical Context
Monkey Pod traces back to Fairey's 2005 residency at The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, making this 2021 Green VSE a later realization of a long-standing image. The work documents a notable conceptual pivot in his thinking: confronted with Hawaii's lack of outdoor advertising, the target his street art was designed to disrupt, he identified the romanticized clichés of Hawaii as the islands' real propaganda. This freed him to create decorative, nature-celebrating art while still embedding his OBEY iconography, an unusual move within a body of work better known for confrontation. As a hand-painted Variable Stencil Edition of 20 with a COA and publishing chop, it also reflects his production of scarce, high-end multiples alongside his accessible editions during this period.
FAQ
What makes this a Variable Stencil Edition (VSE)?
Monkey Pod Green VSE is a Variable Stencil Edition on paper rather than a standard screen print. It is hand-finished, so each of the 20 numbered pieces carries variation, and it is listed as a Hand Painted Multiple, signed by Shepard Fairey, with a Certificate of Authenticity.
What is the edition size and price?
The Green VSE is a signed, numbered edition of 20, measuring 26.5 x 20.5 inches, published by Obey Giant. Its original price was $3000. A companion Red & Gold VSE was also issued in an edition of 20 at $3500.
Where did the Monkey Pod image come from?
Fairey based the image on a tree at The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, where he completed a residency in 2005. He notes Hawaii has no outdoor advertising, which led him to make decorative, nature-celebrating art while still incorporating his OBEY iconography.
Does the print include authentication marks?
Yes. The piece comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and bears the Hecho Con Ganas Publishing Chop in the lower left corner, in addition to being signed by Shepard Fairey.
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.