Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Your Rules My War (Red)”?
Artist Statement
The band Black Flag probably made the biggest impact on me in terms of the intensity of their music, lyrics, art, and DIY ethos. Black Flag scared me but also transfixed me. Listening to the Let Them Eat Jellybeans comp as a 13-year-old featured Black Flag's "Police Story," with its anti-authority hostility, electrified every hair on my body. The lyrics "This fuckin' city is run by pigs… they take the rights away from all the kids" hit home with me because the cops were already hassling me for skateboarding. "Police Story" made me want more music by Black Flag, and a friend loaned me their Damaged album. Damaged is a perfect slab of condensed anger, but there is a ton of other great Black Flag material. I've collaborated with my friend Glen E. Friedman on many projects. I'm especially excited about these "Your Rules My War" prints coinciding with his latest book release, "What I See," which features an epic collection of the most iconic photographs ever made of Black Flag and tons of never-before-seen photos. These prints are based on Glen's fisheye angles from Black Flag's show at the Los Angeles Federal Building on July 4, 1983, with Chuck Dukowski & Henry Rollins. Notably, it is the last show original bassist Chuck Dukowski played with Black Flag and in fact, the last time Glen shot them live. The prints are all signed by Henry, Chuck, Glen, and me. Also, check out some of these photos from the book signing last weekend! –Shepard Print Details: "Your Rules My War" (Two Colorways: Blue & Red). 24 x 18 inches. Screenprint on thick cream Speckletone paper. Original Illustration based on photographs by Glen E. Friedman. Signed by Shepard Fairey, Glen E. Friedman, Henry Rollins, and Chuck Dukowski. Numbered edition of 350 per colorway. A limited amount of matching numbered sets will be available for $180. Blue & Red sold separately for $90.
Summary
Your Rules My War is a 2022 Shepard Fairey screen print, 24 x 18 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper, issued in two colorways, Blue and Red, in a numbered edition of 350 per colorway. Each colorway sold separately for $90, with a limited number of matching numbered sets at $180. The image is an original illustration based on photographs by Glen E. Friedman from Black Flag's July 4, 1983 show at the Los Angeles Federal Building, the last show original bassist Chuck Dukowski played with the band. Each print is signed by Shepard Fairey, Glen E. Friedman, Henry Rollins, and Chuck Dukowski, and published by Obey Giant.
Why It Matters
Your Rules My War is a deeply personal music-and-collaboration print that ties together several figures central to Fairey's formative years. He recounts how Black Flag's intensity and DIY ethos shaped him as a teenager, naming 'Police Story' and the Damaged album as galvanizing experiences. The print is built from Glen E. Friedman's fisheye photographs of Black Flag's July 4, 1983 Federal Building show, coinciding with Friedman's book release 'What I See.' Its multi-signature feature, hand-signed by Fairey, Friedman, Henry Rollins, and Chuck Dukowski, is unusually strong for a Fairey edition and gives it documentary and provenance significance within punk history. The fact that the show was Dukowski's last with Black Flag and the last time Friedman shot them live adds historical specificity. For collectors, the convergence of a celebrated photographer, two iconic musicians, and Fairey on one signed object makes this a standout in his music-collaboration catalog. The dual-colorway structure with matching sets and the contained edition of 350 per colorway further heighten its appeal to both art and music memorabilia collectors.
Collector Perspective
This print is a crossover piece prized by both Fairey collectors and punk-music memorabilia collectors, especially Black Flag fans. Its standout feature is the four-way signature, Fairey, Glen E. Friedman, Henry Rollins, and Chuck Dukowski, which is rare among his editions and adds significant provenance interest. The Red and Blue colorways and matching numbered sets reward completist collecting, while the contained edition of 350 per colorway makes impressions relatively scarce. It anchors a music-themed display and fits collections focused on Fairey's collaborations and his punk-rooted work.
Historical Context
Your Rules My War sits at the intersection of Fairey's music influences and his ongoing collaborations with photographer Glen E. Friedman. Released in March 2022 to coincide with Friedman's 'What I See' book, it draws on Friedman's photographs of Black Flag's July 4, 1983 Los Angeles Federal Building show, a documented moment that was Chuck Dukowski's last performance with the band. The print extends Fairey's lifelong engagement with Black Flag and his 'Rise Above' lineage, while the multi-artist signatures connect his graphic work directly to the punk figures who shaped it, marking a notable collaboration within his mature output.
FAQ
Who signed Your Rules My War?
Each print is signed by Shepard Fairey, Glen E. Friedman, Henry Rollins, and Chuck Dukowski. This four-way signature is unusual among Fairey editions and ties the print directly to Black Flag's history.
What is the image based on?
It is an original illustration based on Glen E. Friedman's fisheye photographs of Black Flag's July 4, 1983 show at the Los Angeles Federal Building, which was original bassist Chuck Dukowski's last performance with the band and the last time Friedman shot them live.
What colorways and edition sizes were offered?
Your Rules My War came in Blue and Red colorways, each a numbered edition of 350, sold separately for $90. A limited number of matching numbered sets were offered for $180. Each is a 24 x 18 inch screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper.
Why did Fairey make this print?
Fairey describes Black Flag as the band that most impacted him as a teenager, citing 'Police Story' and the Damaged album. The prints coincided with Glen E. Friedman's book 'What I See,' which collects iconic Black Flag photographs.
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.