Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Rise Above Bird”?
Artist Statement
The Rise Above Bird is a simple twist on the white peace dove with olive branch, but hey, good guys don't always wear white! The "rise above" is a call to take the high road with a nod to one of my favorite Black Flag songs. Peace is radical punk! –Shepard Rise Above Bird. 13 x 10 inches. Letterpress on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 450. $70.
Summary
Rise Above Bird (2021) is a letterpress print by Shepard Fairey reworking the classic white peace dove with olive branch. Here the dove is rendered against a graphic field, paired with the phrase "rise above" as a call to take the high road. Printed on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, it measures 13 x 10 inches in a signed, numbered first edition of 450. The image distills Fairey's recurring peace iconography into a compact, punk-inflected emblem, where a symbol of nonviolence is reframed as something defiant rather than passive.
Why It Matters
Rise Above Bird sits at the intersection of two long-running threads in Fairey's work: the dove as a symbol of peace and the "Rise Above" slogan he borrows from one of his favorite Black Flag songs. By his own account in the source, the print reframes peace as "radical punk" rather than something soft or naive, fusing hardcore-punk attitude with a near-universal symbol of nonviolence. That tension is the point: it argues that taking the high road is itself an act of strength. For collectors, the work is a clean, affordable distillation of Fairey's peace vocabulary, executed in letterpress on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, which gives it a tactile, crafted quality distinct from his screen prints. The signed, numbered edition of 450 places it in a moderate run typical of his Obey Giant releases. It rewards collectors interested in how Fairey recycles and recharges his core symbols across decades, and how a single dove image can carry both an olive branch and a punk-rock edge.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who gravitate to Fairey's peace and dove imagery and to those who appreciate the punk lineage behind the "Rise Above" phrase. At 13 x 10 inches it is an accessible size for a small wall grouping or a focused collection of Fairey's peace-themed work, and the letterpress process on deckled cotton paper gives it physical presence that photographs do not fully convey. The numbered edition of 450 and entry-level original price make it approachable for newer collectors building a Fairey set, while its tight link to his recurring dove motif makes it a natural companion to other peace works. It displays well alongside his anti-war and peace pieces and suits buyers who value message-driven graphics with a crafted, hand-finished feel.
Historical Context
Rise Above Bird, released in 2021 through Obey Giant, belongs to Fairey's mature period in which he repeatedly returns to and remixes his established symbols. The dove with olive branch is among his most enduring peace images, and the "Rise Above" slogan ties his fine-art output back to his hardcore-punk roots, referencing Black Flag, a band central to the DIY punk ethos that shaped his early sticker and poster work. The source frames the print as a deliberate twist on the white peace dove, signaling Fairey's ongoing interest in complicating familiar symbols rather than simply reproducing them. Within his arc, it represents the continued fusion of activist messaging, music-culture references, and accessible letterpress editions that characterize his later Obey Giant releases.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Rise Above Bird?
Rise Above Bird is a signed, numbered first edition of 450, published by Obey Giant in 2021. Each print is signed by Shepard Fairey and individually numbered within that edition, placing it among his moderately sized letterpress releases from that year.
What medium and paper is it printed on?
It is a letterpress print on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 13 x 10 inches. The letterpress process and deckled cotton stock give the print a tactile, crafted quality distinct from Fairey's screen-printed works.
What is the meaning behind the title?
Per Fairey's own statement, the image twists the white peace dove with olive branch, and 'rise above' is a call to take the high road, with a nod to one of his favorite Black Flag songs. He frames the idea as 'peace is radical punk,' linking nonviolence to a defiant punk attitude.
Is this print signed?
Yes. The source states the print is signed by Shepard Fairey and numbered in an edition of 450. No additional authentication details are provided in the source beyond the signature and edition numbering.
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.