Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Protect The Blue Planet (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
REGULAR EDITION 18 x 24 Inches Two-color screenprint on thick cream speckle tone paper Limited Edition of 450 (250 print only | 200 Sea Change book bundle) Signed + Numbered Printed with ? by Obey Giant VARIANT EDITION 30 x 41 inches Serigraph on Coventry Rag, 100% cotton custom archival paper Hand-deckled edges Limited Edition of 75 (40 print only | 35 Sea Change book bundle) Signed + Numbered Printed with ? by Obey Giant
Summary
Protect The Blue Planet (First Edition) is a 2022 two-color screen print by Shepard Fairey, published with PangeaSeed. The regular edition measures 18 x 24 inches on thick cream speckle tone paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 450 (250 print only and 200 paired with the Sea Change book). A larger variant edition of 75 was produced as a 30 x 41 inch serigraph on Coventry Rag cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges. The print extends Fairey's OBEY iconography toward an ocean-conservation message tied to PangeaSeed's marine-focused mission. It was released at $90 for the regular edition.
Why It Matters
Protect The Blue Planet connects Fairey's signature OBEY iconography to ocean and marine conservation through his partnership with PangeaSeed, an organization focused on the seas. The release demonstrates how Fairey adapts his recognizable graphic language to environmental advocacy, pairing the regular edition with the Sea Change book to embed the artwork in a broader conservation publishing effort. The dual-format structure, a 450-piece regular screen print and a 75-piece large-format serigraph on Coventry Rag cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, gives collectors a clear tier choice between an accessible image and a premium archival object. For collectors, the marine-conservation framing distinguishes this from Fairey's more general environmental prints, situating it within a specific cause-driven collaboration. The book-bundle component also appeals to those who value contextual material alongside the print. As a documented partnership between a globally recognized street artist and a marine-focused nonprofit, it carries the kind of cause-and-collaboration provenance that strengthens an environmentally themed Fairey grouping and rewards buyers interested in how his iconography is mobilized for activist ends.
Collector Perspective
This suits collectors building an environmental or OBEY-iconography focused Fairey collection, and those drawn to cause-based prints tied to a named partner organization, PangeaSeed. The two formats let buyers choose between the accessible 18 x 24 inch screen print and the scarcer 30 x 41 inch large-format serigraph on cotton archival paper, the latter appealing to collectors who want a premium, hand-deckled object. The Sea Change book bundle adds value for those who like supporting context. With 450 regular pieces, the standard edition is broadly attainable, while the 75-piece variant carries more scarcity. It displays well in conservation-themed spaces and pairs naturally with other OBEY icon and environmental prints.
Historical Context
The print was published in 2022 in partnership with PangeaSeed, placing it within Fairey's environmental and cause-collaboration output of the early 2020s. By bundling the regular edition with the Sea Change book, the release ties the artwork to a marine-conservation publishing initiative rather than standing alone. The use of OBEY iconography for an ocean-focused message reflects Fairey's long-running practice of repurposing his familiar graphic vocabulary, including the star and icon motifs, toward activist causes. The parallel production of an accessible screen print and a large-format archival serigraph mirrors a format strategy Fairey has used elsewhere, offering both reach and a collector-grade object within a single environmentally themed release.
FAQ
How many editions of Protect The Blue Planet exist?
There are two formats. The regular edition is 18 x 24 inches in an edition of 450 (250 print only and 200 bundled with the Sea Change book). The variant edition is a larger 30 x 41 inch serigraph in an edition of 75 (40 print only and 35 with the book bundle).
Who published this print?
It was published in 2022 in partnership with PangeaSeed, an organization associated with marine and ocean conservation. The release was paired with the Sea Change book for a portion of the edition, connecting the artwork to a broader conservation publishing effort.
What is the variant edition made of?
The variant edition is a 30 x 41 inch serigraph printed on Coventry Rag, a 100% cotton custom archival paper, with hand-deckled edges. It is signed and numbered in an edition of 75, making it the more premium and scarcer of the two formats.
What is the regular edition's size and price?
The regular edition measures 18 x 24 inches and is a two-color screen print on thick cream speckle tone paper, signed and numbered. It was released at $90.
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.