Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Obey K&S Flower Diamond (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
Collaboration with Kai & Sunny Title: Obey K+S Flower Diamond' Edition: 450 Dimensions: 46 x 61 cm Colours: 3 colour screen print Paper: Screen print on cream speckletone paper
Summary
Obey K&S Flower Diamond is a 2021 collaboration between Shepard Fairey and the artist duo Kai & Sunny, published by Stolen Space. The image sets Fairey's stylized floral motif within a diamond format, rendered as a 3-color screen print on cream Speckletone paper. It measures 18 x 24 inches (46 x 61 cm) and was issued in a first edition of 450. The piece pairs Fairey's decorative pattern language with Kai & Sunny's design sensibility, fusing ornamental floral geometry with the OBEY graphic vocabulary. It is a relatively accessible release that foregrounds pattern, symmetry and botanical form over overt political messaging.
Why It Matters
This print sits at the intersection of Fairey's ongoing decorative practice and his long history of artist-to-artist collaboration. Where much of Fairey's catalog reads as propaganda or protest, the K&S Flower Diamond emphasizes ornament, symmetry and craft, showing how his visual system extends into purely aesthetic territory. Collaborations with Kai & Sunny gave both parties a shared design language, and the diamond floral motif recurs across related releases, making this an anchor piece for collectors tracking that thread. Published through Stolen Space, a London gallery with deep ties to street and graphic art, it also reflects Fairey's transatlantic exhibition network. The edition of 450 is mid-sized for a Fairey screen print, keeping it within reach of newer collectors while still being a hand-pulled, dated object. Its value as a database entry lies less in headline activism and more in documenting how Fairey's floral and pattern-based work evolved in the early 2020s, and how collaborations broadened his visual repertoire beyond the iconic face-and-fist imagery he is best known for.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors who favor Fairey's decorative and pattern-driven work over his overtly political pieces, and to those who specifically follow his Kai & Sunny collaborations. The floral diamond motif and cream Speckletone paper make it an easy fit for domestic display, working well in living spaces where a calmer, ornamental image is preferred. At an original release price of $90 and an edition of 450, it is one of the more attainable entry points into signed, dated Fairey screen prints. It complements a collection organized around collaborations, floral motifs, or the Stolen Space-published releases, and pairs naturally with the related round and Unity flower variants for collectors building a small thematic grouping.
Historical Context
Obey K&S Flower Diamond belongs to Fairey's contemporary period, when collaborative and decorative output became a steady part of his release calendar alongside his political prints. By 2021 Fairey had an established working relationship with Kai & Sunny, and the floral diamond format recurs in subsequent releases such as the 2023 round variant, marking it as part of an evolving motif rather than a one-off. Its publication through Stolen Space situates it within his European gallery activity rather than his US-based Obey Giant drops. Within his broader arc, this print documents how the OBEY graphic system, born from the late-1980s sticker campaign and propaganda aesthetic, matured into refined, pattern-based editions aimed at a gallery and collector audience.
FAQ
Who did Shepard Fairey collaborate with on this print?
The print is a collaboration with the artist duo Kai & Sunny, as stated in the source description. The title Obey K+S Flower Diamond references both the OBEY brand and the Kai & Sunny (K&S) partnership, combining Fairey's floral motif with their design sensibility.
What are the print's specifications?
It is a 3-color screen print on cream Speckletone paper, measuring 18 x 24 inches (46 x 61 cm). It was published by Stolen Space in 2021 as a first edition of 450, with an original release price of $90.
How large is the edition?
The first edition is numbered to 450, which is a mid-sized run for a Fairey screen print. The source lists only this First Edition for the work.
What is the subject of the image?
The image presents Fairey's stylized floral motif arranged within a diamond format. It emphasizes ornamental pattern, symmetry and botanical form rather than overt political messaging, reflecting the decorative side of his practice.
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.