Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Peace Fingers VSE (Geometric)”?
Artist Statement
This "Peace Fingers" (Variable Stencil Edition) is a collaboration produced with my good friend and former co-worker Ernesto Yerena. Each piece is a stencil painting with unique variations in background painting and relief texture created with a thick application of acrylic medium through pattern stencils. The price difference between the two variable editions is because of the greater technical and labor-intensive demands of the geometric version. A portion of the proceeds from these stencil pieces will go to Amnesty International to support their efforts to improve human rights conditions and policies. I originally made the "Peace Fingers" image in 2006 as a response to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but updated the art with a new floral pattern in early 2019 to support universal background checks as part of the #EndGunViolenceTogether campaign. Peace is not the absence of disagreement but the ability to resolve the disagreement without violence. Peace takes more thought, more kindness, more diplomacy, and more creativity, but hey… I'm actually into all of those things. –Shepard PRINT DETAILS: Peace Fingers Geometric VSE. 20.5 x 26.5 inches. Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) on Paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 14. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. $4000. Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in lower left corner. Peace Fingers Unique VSE. 20.5 x 26.5 inches. Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) on Paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 20. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. $3800. Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in lower left corner.
Summary
Peace Fingers VSE (Geometric) is a 2021 hand-painted multiple by Shepard Fairey, produced in collaboration with Ernesto Yerena and published by Obey Giant. Each piece is a stencil painting on paper with unique variations in background and relief texture created by thick applications of acrylic medium through pattern stencils. The geometric version measures 20.5 x 26.5 inches, is signed by Fairey, and was issued in a numbered edition of 14 with a release price of $4000 and a Certificate of Authenticity. The source notes a portion of proceeds supports Amnesty International, and that the Peace Fingers image originated in 2006 as an anti-war response, later updated with a floral pattern.
Why It Matters
Peace Fingers VSE (Geometric) is among the most labor-intensive and exclusive formats Fairey produces: a Variable Stencil Edition where each of the 14 works is hand-painted and unique. That places it far above his standard screen prints in terms of craft, scarcity and price, and the source explicitly attributes the higher cost of the geometric version to its greater technical and labor demands. The piece also carries a deep activist lineage: Fairey first made the Peace Fingers image in 2006 in response to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, then updated it in 2019 with a floral pattern to support universal background checks under the #EndGunViolenceTogether campaign. The 2021 VSE ties that anti-war and anti-violence message to Amnesty International, with a portion of proceeds supporting human rights work. The collaboration with Ernesto Yerena, Fairey's longtime friend and former co-worker, and the Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop further root it in their shared activist practice. As a database entry it documents Fairey at his most hands-on and political, fusing peace messaging with unique-object production.
Collector Perspective
This targets serious collectors seeking a unique, hand-painted Fairey object rather than a standard edition print. With only 14 examples, each varying in background and relief texture, and a $4000 release price plus Certificate of Authenticity, it sits at the top tier of his output and appeals to buyers who prioritize rarity, craft and one-of-a-kind variation. Its peace and anti-violence message, charitable tie to Amnesty International, and the Yerena collaboration add depth for collectors who value activist provenance. As a textured, hand-finished work it functions as a focal gallery piece. It complements collections built around peace and anti-war themes, Yerena collaborations, and the broader Peace Fingers motif, including the later sculpture edition.
Historical Context
Peace Fingers VSE (Geometric) connects Fairey's mid-2000s anti-war work to his contemporary activist practice. The source dates the original Peace Fingers image to 2006, made in response to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, then revised in 2019 with a floral pattern for the #EndGunViolenceTogether gun-reform campaign. The 2021 Variable Stencil Edition, tied to Amnesty International, shows how Fairey recycles and re-contextualizes a single image across more than a decade of causes. Produced with Ernesto Yerena under the Hecho Con Ganas chop, it reflects their long collaborative partnership. Within Fairey's arc, the work exemplifies his hands-on stencil practice and his consistent linking of art production to human rights and peace advocacy, distinguishing his unique editions from his mass-produced screen prints.
FAQ
Why is each Peace Fingers VSE unique?
The source describes it as a Variable Stencil Edition, where each piece is a stencil painting with unique variations in background painting and relief texture, created by thick applications of acrylic medium through pattern stencils. No two examples are identical.
How does the geometric version differ from the unique version?
The source lists two variable editions: the Geometric, an edition of 14 at $4000, and the Unique, an edition of 20 at $3800. It attributes the geometric version's higher price to its greater technical and labor-intensive demands.
What causes does this print support?
The source states a portion of proceeds goes to Amnesty International to support human rights work. The Peace Fingers image was originally made in 2006 in response to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and updated in 2019 to support universal background checks.
Who collaborated on this work?
It was produced in collaboration with Ernesto Yerena, Fairey's friend and former co-worker. It carries the Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in the lower left corner, is signed by Shepard Fairey, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
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.