Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Rose Shackle (VSE)”?
Artist Statement
The "Rose Shackle" (Variable Stencil Edition) & "OBEY Icon" (Variable Stencil Edition) are collaborations produced with my good friend and former co-worker Ernesto Yerena. Each piece is a stencil painting with unique variations in background painting and relief texture created with a thick application of acrylic medium through pattern stencils. This rose represents the archetype of an individual or society who has endured oppression but perseveres and rises above. The Obey Icon face evolved at the end of 1995 out of the desire to move further away from the association with Andre the Giant and toward a more streamlined and universal "Big Brother" (as in George Orwell's 1984) image. –Shepard Rose Shackle VSE & Obey Icon VSE. 20.5 x 26.5 inches. Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) on Paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 20. $4000. Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in lower left corner.
Summary
Rose Shackle (VSE) is a 2022 Variable Stencil Edition produced by Obey Giant as a collaboration between Shepard Fairey and Ernesto Yerena. Each of the 20 hand-painted multiples is a stencil painting with unique variations in background painting and relief texture built up with thick acrylic medium through pattern stencils. Measuring 20.5 x 26.5 inches on paper, it is signed by Shepard Fairey and carries a Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in the lower left corner. The rose motif represents an individual or society that has endured oppression but perseveres and rises above, paired with the streamlined OBEY Icon face. Released November 29, 2022.
Why It Matters
This piece sits at the intersection of two threads Fairey has cultivated for decades: the OBEY Icon as a deliberately universal Big Brother image, and the rose as a symbol of perseverance through oppression. As a Variable Stencil Edition, each of the 20 works is hand-painted with unique background and relief variation, meaning no two are identical, which gives the edition the character of a small body of related originals rather than a uniform print run. The collaboration with Ernesto Yerena, a longtime co-worker and frequent Fairey collaborator through Hecho Con Ganas, adds a second authorial voice and a documented publishing chop. For collectors, the combination of hand-painted uniqueness, a tiny edition of 20, large format, and the artist's own framing of the rose as a resilience archetype makes it a more deliberate and labor-intensive object than a standard screen print. It rewards close looking because the acrylic relief texture is physically present, not reproduced. The OBEY Icon's stated lineage, evolving at the end of 1995 away from Andre the Giant toward a streamlined Orwellian image, is well documented in the artist's own statement.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors who prioritize hand-worked, one-of-a-kind objects over open or large editions, and to those building a focused OBEY Iconography holding. The edition of 20, hand-painted relief texture, and dual signature/collaboration history make it a centerpiece rather than a filler piece. Collectors drawn to Fairey-Yerena collaborations and the Hecho Con Ganas chop will value the documented provenance. At 20.5 x 26.5 inches it has real wall presence and the variable stencil surface reads as a painting up close, making it a strong display anchor. It fits naturally alongside other OBEY Icon and VSE works, and pairs with the companion Obey Icon VSE released in the same collaboration.
Historical Context
Rose Shackle (VSE) belongs to Fairey's mature contemporary period, when he increasingly released small hand-painted multiple editions alongside his screen prints. The OBEY Icon at its center traces directly to the artist's stated 1995 decision to move away from the Andre the Giant association toward a streamlined, universal Big Brother face referencing Orwell's 1984, a lineage that grounds the work in the origin story of the entire OBEY project. The collaboration with Ernesto Yerena and the Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop reflect Fairey's long-running practice of co-producing work with allied artists and printers. Within his arc, variable stencil editions like this one represent a bridge between his graphic print output and unique studio painting, combining iconography developed over decades with a labor-intensive, hand-finished process.
FAQ
What makes the Variable Stencil Edition (VSE) format special?
Each of the 20 pieces is a stencil painting with unique variations in the background painting and relief texture, created with a thick application of acrylic medium through pattern stencils. Because of this hand process, no two pieces in the edition are identical, giving each work an individual, hand-finished character.
Who collaborated on this piece?
It is a collaboration between Shepard Fairey and his friend and former co-worker Ernesto Yerena. The work carries a Hecho Con Ganas publishing chop in the lower left corner and was published by Obey Giant in 2022.
What does the rose symbolize?
According to Fairey's statement, the rose represents the archetype of an individual or society that has endured oppression but perseveres and rises above it. It is paired with the OBEY Icon face, which Fairey describes as a streamlined, universal Big Brother image.
How large is the edition and the print?
It is a numbered edition of 20, measuring 20.5 x 26.5 inches on paper. It is signed by Shepard Fairey and was published by Obey Giant with an original release price of $4000.
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.