Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Rise Above Flower”?
Artist Statement
The Rise Above Flower is a call to take the high road with a nod to one of my favorite Black Flag songs. Symbols such as flowers have always embodied important messages of hope and possibility in my work. Many of our political and social conversations have gotten petty, and I'd like people to think a little more about the big picture issues like human dignity and environmental responsibility in ways that we can unify. A portion of the proceeds from this print will benefit Greenpeace to support the organization's work to enhance environmental protections and combat climate change. -Shepard Rise Above Flower. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 625. $55.
Summary
Rise Above Flower is a 2021 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 625. The image centers on a flower motif paired with Fairey's "Rise Above" message, framing the bloom as a symbol of hope, possibility, and unity. Fairey describes the work as a call to take the high road and to focus on big-picture concerns such as human dignity and environmental responsibility rather than petty political division. The title nods to a favorite Black Flag song. Fairey notes a portion of proceeds benefits Greenpeace.
Why It Matters
Rise Above Flower distills several threads that run through Fairey's mature output into a single, accessible image: the floral symbol of hope, the "Rise Above" rallying cry borrowed from hardcore punk, and an explicit plea for unity around human dignity and environmental responsibility. The pairing of a decorative bloom with a moral imperative is a signature Fairey move, using approachable beauty to carry weightier content. The source ties the print directly to a Greenpeace benefit, situating it within Fairey's long practice of pairing editions with causes, which collectors often read as part of the work's meaning. Because the message resists a single hot-button issue and instead argues for stepping back to the "big picture," the print reads as a bridge piece between his environmental and justice-oriented work. Its modest $55 release price and edition of 625 made it broadly attainable at issue, which has historically helped Fairey reach a wide audience while keeping the imagery in active circulation. For a database, what differentiates this entry is the documented Black Flag reference and the artist's own framing of flowers as carriers of hope, both grounded in his statement rather than invented context.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors drawn to Fairey's optimistic, unifying register rather than his most confrontational political pieces. The flower-and-slogan composition is visually clean and color-forward, making it an easy wall piece that signals values without being aggressive, which suits home and shared spaces. Buyers building a thematic group around environmental responsibility or the recurring "Rise Above" motif will find it a natural anchor, and its Greenpeace association adds a cause-driven dimension some collectors prioritize. At an edition of 625 it sits in the more available range of Fairey's signed screen prints, so it tends to attract newer collectors and those who want an entry point into his floral and environmental work. It also pairs well in a display with other 18 x 24 cream-paper editions from the same period, supporting a cohesive set.
Historical Context
Rise Above Flower fits within Fairey's early-2020s run of Obey Giant screen prints that increasingly braided environmental concern with calls for social unity. The "Rise Above" phrase, drawn here from Black Flag, connects the print to Fairey's lifelong debt to punk and hardcore, a vocabulary he has carried from his earliest sticker and poster work into gallery editions. Released in October 2021, it sits alongside other floral and justice-themed prints he issued in this period, many similarly tied to nonprofit beneficiaries. Rather than marking a stylistic departure, it consolidates motifs he had been developing for years, the flower as a symbol of hope and possibility, presented in his familiar high-contrast graphic idiom on signature cream Speckletone stock. Its Greenpeace tie reflects how, by this stage of his career, cause partnerships had become a routine and expected feature of his print releases.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Rise Above Flower?
It is a signed, numbered edition of 625 published by Obey Giant in 2021. Each print is hand-signed by Shepard Fairey and individually numbered, placing it among his more widely available signed screen print releases from that year at its original $55 issue price.
What are its dimensions and materials?
Rise Above Flower measures 18 x 24 inches and is a screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. The heavyweight speckled stock is a recurring choice in Fairey's Obey Giant editions from this period and contributes to the print's warm, textured ground.
What does the imagery mean?
Fairey describes the flower as a symbol of hope and possibility and the "Rise Above" message as a call to take the high road. He frames it as an appeal to focus on big-picture issues like human dignity and environmental responsibility in ways that can unify people, with the title nodding to a Black Flag song.
Is this print connected to a cause?
Yes. According to Fairey's statement, a portion of the proceeds from this print benefits Greenpeace to support the organization's work enhancing environmental protections and combating climate change. The source does not detail the exact amount donated.
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.