What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Bedtime For Democracy”?

Artist Statement

I like to collaborate with NoNAME because we have similar political views, and we both use art as a wake-up call with a dash of gallows humor. I mean, the threats to the planet and democracy, coupled with rampant crisis capitalism, could be paralyzing if we can't still laugh. Anyway, I collaborated with NoNAME on this "Bedtime for Democracy" art, inspired by the Dead Kennedys album of the same name. NoNAME explains how the art came to life, so I'll keep it short and say this is a very small edition of 50. Read NoNAME's explanation below, and don't squander your right to vote while you still have that right. –Shepard Back in 2015, I created the initial version of "Bedtime for Democracy" for some street interventions in Paris in the context of the United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP21 summit. The artwork highlights the risk of corporate influence within political decisions. At the same time, on the other side of the globe, my soul mate Shepard Fairey illustrated a pretty similar statement entitled "End Corruption – Restore Democracy." Six years later, a storm caused through an invisible virus is destabilizing global democracy, while at the same moment it gives a few corporations even more power and influence – not only on democratic decisions, but also on public welfare democracy actually should take care of. This situation was reminding me of a slogan I heard first from some brokers in New York after the financial crisis back in 2008. Every crisis is an opportunity – a cynical watchword that fits to the ongoing global crisis, in which a few not only doubled their wealth, but also let their influence grow on political decisions, while more and more people all around the world are losing nearly everything – including their life. When I was working on the visual concept for this artwork earlier this year, whose headline is inspired by the title of the Dead Kennedys album "Bedtime For Democracy", I thought that Shepard's "corruption handshake" illustration would perfectly fit to highlight the actual statement and merge our intentions from back in 2015. –NN NoNAME x Shepard Fairey / Bedtime For Democracy. 23 3/4 inches x 31 1/2 inches. Hand screen printed on thick ivory paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by Shepard Fairey and NoNAME. Numbered edition of 50. Certificate of Authenticity Available Upon Request. $900.

Summary

Bedtime For Democracy is a 2021 Shepard Fairey collaboration with the artist NoNAME, published by Obey Giant. It measures 23 3/4 x 31 1/2 inches, hand screen printed on thick ivory paper with hand-deckled edges, signed by both artists, in a very small numbered edition of 50. Its title is inspired by the Dead Kennedys album of the same name. The work merges NoNAME's 2015 "Bedtime for Democracy" street concept, made around the COP21 climate summit in Paris, with Fairey's "corruption handshake" illustration, highlighting the risk of corporate influence over political decisions. A Certificate of Authenticity is available upon request.

Why It Matters

Bedtime For Democracy stands out as one of Fairey's most exclusive collaborative editions in this period, a numbered run of just 50, and as a richly documented merger of two artists' intentions. NoNAME's accompanying statement traces the concept to 2015 street interventions in Paris during the COP21 United Nations climate summit, when both artists independently made strikingly similar statements about corporate influence over democracy, NoNAME's "Bedtime for Democracy" and Fairey's "End Corruption, Restore Democracy." Six years later they combined those efforts, with Fairey's "corruption handshake" illustration folded into NoNAME's framework. The title's debt to the Dead Kennedys album anchors the piece in punk's anti-authoritarian lineage, a recurring touchstone for Fairey. Thematically it ties consumerism and concentrated corporate power to threats against democracy, sharpened by the pandemic-era observation that crisis can enrich and empower a few. The hand-deckled ivory paper, dual signatures, very small edition, and available Certificate of Authenticity make it materially and contextually distinct from Fairey's larger drops. For collectors and researchers, the detailed origin story and the scarcity of 50 give this entry unusual depth and standing within his collaborative catalog.

Collector Perspective

With a numbered edition of just 50, Bedtime For Democracy is among the scarcer pieces in this group and appeals to serious collectors who prioritize low edition sizes and documented collaborations. The hand screen printing on hand-deckled ivory paper and the availability of a Certificate of Authenticity reinforce its premium, gallery-grade character, reflected in its $900 original price. The large 23 3/4 x 31 1/2 format makes it a centerpiece work. It particularly suits collectors interested in Fairey's international collaborations, his anti-corruption and pro-democracy messaging, and the punk lineage signaled by the Dead Kennedys reference. It fits well in advanced collections organized around power, democracy, and consumerism themes, and rewards buyers who value a print with a fully traceable conceptual backstory.

Historical Context

Bedtime For Democracy crystallizes a long-running strand of Fairey's work targeting corporate corruption and threats to democratic governance, here in dialogue with NoNAME's parallel European practice. The collaboration's roots reach back to 2015, when both artists addressed corporate influence around the COP21 climate summit in Paris, and the 2021 print reframes that shared concern through a pandemic-era lens of crisis capitalism. Fairey's "corruption handshake" motif, repurposed into this composition, connects to his earlier "End Corruption, Restore Democracy" imagery. The Dead Kennedys title situates the work firmly within the punk and hardcore references that have shaped Fairey since his earliest days. Issued in late 2021 as a deliberately small, premium edition, it reflects how Fairey reserved certain collaborative statements for limited, high-production-value releases rather than broad drops, marking it as a considered, message-driven piece within his contemporary output.

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