Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “OFF! You Will Do What We Say (Aqua Drab)”?
Artist Statement
OFF! You Will Do What We Say (Aqua Drab). 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on True White Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 400. $60.
Summary
OFF! You Will Do What We Say (Aqua Drab) is a 2022 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, printed on True White Speckletone paper, signed and from a numbered edition of 400, priced at $60. The Aqua Drab colorway is one of two editions, alongside a First Edition. The title references the punk band OFF! and carries a confrontational, anti-authoritarian slogan typical of Fairey's collaborations with music acts. The work pairs commanding typography with Fairey's graphic design vocabulary to deliver a directive that reads as both menacing command and critique of obedience.
Why It Matters
OFF! You Will Do What We Say sits at the intersection of Fairey's music collaborations and his career-long preoccupation with authority and obedience, the same tension at the heart of his OBEY project. The title's commanding slogan plays directly on the language of control that Fairey has critiqued since his earliest work, here channeled through a partnership with the punk band OFF!. For collectors, music-adjacent Fairey prints occupy a distinct and sought-after niche, bridging his fine-art editions and the punk and hip-hop worlds that shaped his sensibility. Issued as the Aqua Drab colorway within a two-edition release, it appeals to collectors who pursue alternate colorways and complete variant sets. At an edition of 400 it is a mid-sized run for his screen prints of this period. Printed on Speckletone stock at the standard 18 x 24 format, it conforms to the signed, numbered presentation collectors expect from Obey Giant releases, while its band tie-in and aggressive typographic message give it a sharper edge than his purely decorative work.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who track Fairey's music collaborations and punk-scene tie-ins, as well as those who collect alternate colorways and want the Aqua Drab variant alongside the First Edition. Its bold typographic message and standard 18 x 24 format make it a striking, legible wall piece with attitude. At a $60 issue price and edition of 400 it is an accessible, mid-range acquisition. It displays well grouped with other Fairey music collaborations or among his typographic, slogan-driven works, where its confrontational command anchors a punk-leaning corner of a collection.
Historical Context
Published by Obey Giant in May 2022, OFF! You Will Do What We Say extends Fairey's long practice of collaborating with musicians and channeling punk's anti-authoritarian ethos into his editions. The slogan plays on the theme of obedience that has defined his work since the OBEY campaign, repurposing the language of command. Released as the Aqua Drab colorway alongside a First Edition, it reflects his studio's frequent strategy of offering multiple colorways of a single image during this period, situating it among his 2020-2023 collaboration-driven releases.
FAQ
What is the Aqua Drab edition?
Aqua Drab is one of two colorways of OFF! You Will Do What We Say, released alongside a First Edition. This version is a screen print on True White Speckletone paper, signed by Shepard Fairey and issued in a numbered edition of 400 at $60.
What are the size and medium?
The print measures 18 x 24 inches and is a screen print on True White Speckletone paper. It was published by Obey Giant in 2022, signed by the artist, and is part of a numbered edition.
How large is the edition?
This Aqua Drab colorway is a numbered edition of 400, signed by Shepard Fairey, and was priced at $60.
What does the title reference?
The title references the band OFF! and carries a confrontational, anti-authoritarian slogan, aligning with the theme of obedience and authority that runs throughout Fairey's work.
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.