Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Eyes Open (Signed Offset)”?
Artist Statement
This Eyes Open lithograph is the follow-up to the Wake Up letterpress I released over last summer. It is important to look to the future with our eyes open to our shared humanity. The image is an urge for us all to be alert, conscious, and analytical. Disinformation, division, and apathy have led to the weakening of pillars of our democracy, an ineffective response to Covid-19, and a lack of meaningful action on environmental destruction and climate change. We accomplish amazing things when we unite and focus on constructive goals, planting seeds, and nurturing them together until they bloom. There are many crucial things going on that demand us to live with our eyes and minds open that this print applies to. Thanks for caring! –Shepard Eyes Open. 24 x 36 inches. Offset Lithograph on thick cream Speckletone paper. Open edition. Signed by Shepard Fairey. $35.
Summary
Eyes Open (Signed Offset) is a 2021 offset lithograph, 24 x 36 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper, issued as a signed open edition by Obey Giant at an original price of $35. The image urges viewers to stay alert, conscious, and analytical, and is presented as a follow-up to the earlier Wake Up letterpress. Fairey ties it to the dangers of disinformation, division, and apathy, which he says have weakened pillars of democracy, hampered the Covid-19 response, and stalled action on environmental destruction and climate change. He frames living with eyes and minds open as essential to confronting these crises.
Why It Matters
Eyes Open functions as a broad civic rallying cry, distilling Fairey's belief that vigilance and shared humanity are prerequisites for progress. As a signed open-edition offset lithograph priced accessibly at $35, it was clearly designed for wide reach rather than scarcity, aligning form with message: Fairey wanted as many people as possible to internalize the call to be alert, conscious, and analytical. The print's significance lies in how directly it names the threats of its moment, disinformation, division, and apathy, and connects them to concrete failures, from a weakened democracy to an ineffective Covid-19 response and stalled climate action. Positioned as the follow-up to the Wake Up letterpress, it extends a small thematic sequence within his catalog about awareness and engagement. Its imagery of planting seeds and nurturing them until they bloom links the civic message to his recurring environmental motifs. For collectors, it is a representative, affordable statement piece that captures Fairey's 2021 emphasis on conscious citizenship, valuable more for its message and accessibility than for rarity.
Collector Perspective
Eyes Open suits collectors who want an affordable, message-driven Fairey piece and those building a set around his awareness-and-engagement works, especially as a pairing with the Wake Up letterpress. The large 24 x 36 format gives it strong wall presence despite its low price point, and the signed open edition makes it widely available. Its themes of staying alert to disinformation, defending democracy, and acting on climate give it crossover appeal for politically engaged buyers. At a $35 original release price, it is one of the most accessible entry points into Fairey's signed catalog, ideal for newer collectors or those wanting a values-led statement piece without a premium edition cost.
Historical Context
Released in April 2021, Eyes Open belongs to Fairey's pandemic-era output and follows directly from his Wake Up letterpress of the prior summer, forming a short sequence on civic awareness. It responds to the disinformation, division, and apathy that he argues weakened democratic institutions and hampered the Covid-19 response, situating it squarely in the political climate of 2020-2021. Its references to environmental destruction and climate change connect it to his broader ecological advocacy, while its seed-and-bloom imagery echoes motifs he uses across that work. As a signed open-edition offset lithograph, it reflects his practice of issuing accessible, widely distributed pieces alongside limited screen prints to maximize the reach of his messages.
FAQ
Is this an open edition?
Yes. Eyes Open is a signed open edition offset lithograph, meaning it was not limited to a fixed number. It measures 24 x 36 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper, was published by Obey Giant in 2021, and had an original release price of $35.
How does this relate to other Fairey works?
Fairey describes Eyes Open as the follow-up to the Wake Up letterpress he released the previous summer. Both center on awareness and staying conscious, making them a natural thematic pair within his catalog.
What message does the image convey?
The image urges viewers to be alert, conscious, and analytical. Fairey cites disinformation, division, and apathy as forces that have weakened democracy, hampered the Covid-19 response, and stalled action on environmental destruction and climate change, calling for people to live with their eyes and minds open.
What medium is this print?
Eyes Open is an offset lithograph on thick cream Speckletone paper, distinct from Fairey's screen prints. It is signed by Shepard Fairey and was issued as an open edition, making it one of his more widely available and affordable pieces.
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.