Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Obey Elephant (VSE OG Colourway)”?
Artist Statement
Peace Elephant VSE OG Colorway and Blue Sunrise Colorway. 26.5 x 20 inches. Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) on Paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 15. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. $4000. Proceeds go to CORE Response. Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in lower left corner.
Summary
Obey Elephant (VSE OG Colourway) is a 2022 hand-painted multiple by Shepard Fairey, also titled Peace Elephant, measuring 26.5 x 20 inches as a Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) on paper. It was issued in a numbered edition of 15, signed by Fairey, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity at $4000. Proceeds go to CORE Response, and the work bears the Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in the lower-left corner. As a VSE, each piece is individually hand-finished, making this a small, premium edition within Fairey's elephant motif works.
Why It Matters
Obey Elephant (VSE OG Colourway) is a premium, hand-finished work that sits at the top tier of this group. As a Variable Stencil Edition of just 15, each piece is individually hand-painted, making them effectively unique variations rather than uniform prints, a quality reflected in its $4000 release price and accompanying Certificate of Authenticity. The peace elephant motif carries symbolic weight within Fairey's vocabulary, and this OG colourway is one of several variants of the image, situating it within a deliberately tiered release structure that also includes a Blue Sunrise colourway. The charitable tie to CORE Response and the Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop add provenance and a cause dimension. For collectors, this is a top-end acquisition: the tiny edition, hand-painted nature, COA, and large scale distinguish it sharply from Fairey's standard screen prints. It rewards advanced collectors who prioritize rarity, hand-finished originality, and authenticated, cause-linked works, and it functions as a centerpiece rather than a supporting piece within a collection of his higher-value editions.
Collector Perspective
This targets advanced, high-budget collectors who prioritize rarity and hand-finished works. As a Variable Stencil Edition of only 15, signed and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, it appeals to buyers who value uniqueness, scale, and authenticated provenance over accessible price points. At 26.5 x 20 inches with a $4000 release price, it functions as a centerpiece rather than a supporting piece. The CORE Response charitable tie and Hecho Con Ganas chop add appeal for those who value cause-linked, well-documented works. It fits a collection of Fairey's premium editions and OBEY iconography, and pairs naturally with his other large-format and hand-painted multiples.
Historical Context
Obey Elephant (VSE OG Colourway) belongs to Fairey's hand-painted multiple and Variable Stencil Edition output, published in 2022. The peace elephant image was issued across multiple formats and colourways, including First Edition, Holiday Edition, VSE Blue Sunrise, and this VSE OG colourway, reflecting Fairey's practice of releasing an image in tiered variants from accessible prints to premium hand-finished editions. The VSE format, in which stencils are hand-applied to create variation, places this at the unique, collector-grade end of his catalog. The Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop and the benefit to CORE Response align it with his recurring pattern of authenticated, cause-linked premium releases.
FAQ
What makes this an exclusive edition?
It is a Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) of only 15, meaning each piece is individually hand-finished. It is signed by Shepard Fairey, comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, and was released at $4000, placing it at the premium, collector-grade end of his catalog.
What is a Variable Stencil Edition?
According to the source, this is a hand-painted multiple produced as a Variable Stencil Edition on paper. The hand-applied stencil process means individual pieces vary, distinguishing it from uniform screen prints. It measures 26.5 x 20 inches and was issued in a numbered edition of 15.
Does this work support a charity?
Yes. According to the source, proceeds go to CORE Response. The piece also bears the Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in the lower-left corner and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, adding provenance and a cause-linked dimension to the work.
Are there other colourways of this image?
Yes. The source lists multiple editions of the peace elephant image, including a First Edition, a Holiday Edition, a VSE Blue Sunrise Colourway, and this VSE OG Colourway, reflecting a tiered release across several formats and color variants.
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.