Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Geometric Dove (Blue Tile)”?
Artist Statement
Edition of /225 + 25 AP Digital print on tile. Tile with cork base Laser signature and numbering 15 × 15 cm 2021
Summary
Geometric Dove (Blue Tile) is a 2021 Shepard Fairey work published by Underdogs as a ceramic tile rather than a paper print. It is a digital print on tile with a cork base, measuring 15 x 15 cm, with laser signature and numbering, in an edition of 225 plus 25 APs. The image renders a dove in Fairey's geometric, decorative style. This Blue Tile belongs to a larger 2021 set that also includes Black and Red tile variants and related offset and screenprint editions. The dove is a longstanding peace symbol in Fairey's vocabulary, here translated into a small, object-based ceramic format.
Why It Matters
Geometric Dove (Blue Tile) is notable as an object edition rather than a conventional paper print, expanding Fairey's recognizable peace iconography onto ceramic. Published by Underdogs, the Lisbon-based studio and gallery, it represents Fairey's collaborative output beyond his own Obey Giant releases, and the laser signature and numbering on a cork-backed tile distinguish it materially from his signed screen prints. The dove is one of Fairey's most enduring symbols of peace, and rendering it in a geometric, decorative treatment ties the piece to his broader interest in pattern and symmetry. Because it exists within a coordinated set, spanning Black, Blue, and Red tiles plus offset and screenprint variants, the Blue Tile functions both as a standalone object and as one component of a collectible family, which gives set-minded collectors a clear completion goal. The small 15 x 15 cm footprint and tile format make it a distinctive, displayable object that diverges from the wall-poster norm. For a database, the differentiating facts are the unusual medium, the Underdogs publishing relationship, and the edition structure of 225 plus 25 APs, all drawn directly from the source.
Collector Perspective
This piece suits collectors who value format diversity and want a Fairey object that sits on a shelf or stands apart from framed prints. The ceramic tile with cork base is tactile and self-contained, appealing to those who appreciate the dove's peace symbolism in a compact, decorative form. Because it is part of a multi-color set, it is especially attractive to completists pursuing the full Black, Blue, and Red tile group or the wider screenprint and offset variants. The Underdogs publishing connection adds appeal for collectors tracking Fairey's collaborations with international studios. At 225 plus 25 APs, availability is more limited than his larger paper editions, which can heighten interest among those seeking the less common object formats within his body of work.
Historical Context
Geometric Dove (Blue Tile) reflects Fairey's continued collaboration with Underdogs and his periodic move into object and ceramic editions during the early 2020s. The dove has been a recurring peace emblem across his career, and its geometric, patterned treatment here connects to his sustained interest in symmetry and decorative structure. As a tile rather than a poster, the work belongs to a smaller strand of his output in which he adapts familiar symbols to non-paper supports, often through gallery and studio partnerships abroad. Released in late 2021 within a coordinated set of color and medium variants, it shows how Fairey and his publishers built families of related editions around a single image, offering the same motif across ceramic, offset, and screenprint forms. The laser signature and numbering mark a production approach suited to the tile medium rather than hand-signing.
FAQ
Is Geometric Dove (Blue Tile) a paper print?
No. It is a ceramic tile, specifically a digital print on tile with a cork base, measuring 15 x 15 cm. This makes it an object edition rather than one of Fairey's conventional paper screen prints, and it was published by Underdogs in 2021.
How is this tile signed and numbered?
According to the source, the tile carries a laser signature and numbering rather than a hand signature. The edition consists of 225 numbered pieces plus 25 artist's proofs (APs), a structure common to limited object editions.
How does the Blue Tile relate to other versions?
The Blue Tile is one part of a larger 2021 set that also includes Black and Blue & Red configurations, Black and Blue tiles, and Offset and Screenprint variants in black, blue, and red. Collectors can pursue the Blue Tile alone or as part of the broader set.
What does the dove represent?
The dove is a longstanding peace symbol in Fairey's work. Here it is rendered in a geometric, decorative style consistent with his interest in pattern and symmetry. The source describes the medium and edition details rather than an extended artist statement for this piece.
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.