Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Just Future Rising”?
Artist Statement
These prints, "Just Angels Rising" and "Just Future Rising," are variations of the art I created for the Time "VOTE" cover just before the 2020 election. At the time, I wanted to address the very unique situation we were in as a country as we faced the Covid-19 pandemic, unrest around police brutality and racial discrimination, voter suppression, and intense political division. We are still facing all of those things, though the development of Covid vaccines has significantly improved public safety and benefitted the fight to end the pandemic. In this illustration, the usually clear-cut rebel symbol of a bandana covering a face takes on a different meaning during Covid, becoming an emblem of safety, respect for one's fellow citizens, and a sign that the wearer believes in science. The updated images on the bandana symbolize an activist's aspiration for a more just future for all. The future is in part shaped by voting, but not voting alone. How we express our ideals and spend our money in alignment with our ideals helps to shape the future also. Anti-democracy forces are pushing voter suppression, so voting while you still can is essential. The future of our democracy… and our world is in our hands! The subject of the portrait is my former co-worker Marin Takeshita who is Japanese. With the rise of hate crimes against Asians during Covid, Marin, and I thought it was important for proceeds from these prints to benefit the organization Stop AAPI Hate, which focuses on immigrants' rights, and remedies for racial and social injustice. –Shepard Just Angels Rising and Just Future Rising. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Original photo by Victoria Yarnish. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 450. $65.
Summary
Just Future Rising is a 2021 screen print by Shepard Fairey, a variation on the art he made for Time magazine's VOTE cover before the 2020 election. It depicts a figure wearing a bandana, which Fairey recasts during Covid as an emblem of safety, respect for fellow citizens, and belief in science, with images on the bandana symbolizing an activist's hope for a more just future. The portrait subject is Fairey's former co-worker Marin Takeshita. Printed on thick cream Speckletone paper from an original photo by Victoria Yarnish, it measures 18 x 24 inches, is a numbered edition of 450 signed by Fairey, and was issued at $65 to benefit Stop AAPI Hate.
Why It Matters
Just Future Rising connects directly to one of Fairey's most visible recent commissions, the Time VOTE cover from just before the 2020 election, making it a documented offshoot of a nationally circulated image. The print reframes the rebel bandana, a long-standing Fairey symbol, into a Covid-era emblem of public health, civic respect, and trust in science, capturing how he adapted his iconography to a specific historical moment. Its message braids voting and democracy with the idea that ideals are also expressed through how people act and spend, a theme Fairey states plainly in the source. The work carries an additional layer of meaning through its subject, his former co-worker Marin Takeshita, and its dedication of proceeds to Stop AAPI Hate amid rising anti-Asian hate crimes during Covid. That pairing of personal portraiture with a named cause gives the print clear social grounding. As a companion to Just Angels Rising and a derivative of a major editorial commission, it holds strong appeal for collectors of Fairey's political and democracy-focused work.
Collector Perspective
This print draws collectors of Fairey's political and democracy-themed work, buyers interested in its tie to the Time VOTE cover, and those who value cause-linked editions. The Speckletone paper, Fairey signature, and edition numbering support its standing as a studio screenprint, while its pairing with Just Angels Rising offers a natural two-print collecting angle. At an accessible original price and an edition of 450, it fits collections organized around voting, democracy, and Fairey's portrait-based activism. The connection to a widely seen Time cover, the named portrait subject, and proceeds benefiting Stop AAPI Hate add documentary and social value that resonates with collectors who prioritize context and mission alongside imagery.
Historical Context
Just Future Rising sits within Fairey's voting and democracy output around the 2020 election and its aftermath, growing directly from his Time VOTE cover commission. Released in 2021, it reflects how he revisited and varied a major editorial image for the print market while updating its meaning for the ongoing Covid pandemic. The reinterpretation of the bandana as a symbol of safety and science marks a specific moment in his iconography, and the dedication of proceeds to Stop AAPI Hate ties it to the surge in anti-Asian violence during that period. Printed on cream Speckletone paper from a photograph by Victoria Yarnish, it follows the standard studio practice of Obey Giant editions while functioning as a paired release with Just Angels Rising.
FAQ
What is Just Future Rising based on?
It is a variation on the art Shepard Fairey created for Time magazine's VOTE cover just before the 2020 election. Fairey adapted the image to address the Covid pandemic, police brutality, voter suppression, and political division he saw at the time.
Who is the subject of the portrait?
The subject is Fairey's former co-worker Marin Takeshita, who is Japanese. The original photograph was taken by Victoria Yarnish. Fairey directed proceeds to Stop AAPI Hate in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during Covid.
What does the bandana symbolize?
Fairey reinterprets the rebel symbol of a bandana covering a face as an emblem of safety, respect for one's fellow citizens, and belief in science during Covid. Images on the bandana symbolize an activist's aspiration for a more just future for all.
What are the print's specifications?
Just Future Rising is a screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper measuring 18 x 24 inches. It is a numbered edition of 450 signed by Shepard Fairey, published in 2021 at an original price of $65.
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.