Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Putin's Ashes (Pussy Riot)”?
Artist Statement
Putin's Ashes (Pussy Riot). 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Nadya Tolokonnikova. Numbered edition of 450. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $90.
Summary
Putin's Ashes (Pussy Riot) is a 2023 screen print published by Obey Giant, created in collaboration with Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova. Printed on thick cream Speckletone paper at 18 x 24 inches, it is signed by both Shepard Fairey and Nadya Tolokonnikova and numbered in an edition of 450. It comes with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity. Released February 3, 2023, at an original price of $90. The supplied source provides the print's technical details and dual-signature collaboration but no extended artist statement on the imagery or message.
Why It Matters
Putin's Ashes (Pussy Riot) is notable primarily as a collaboration between Shepard Fairey and Nadya Tolokonnikova of the Russian activist collective Pussy Riot, carrying the signatures of both. The dual-signature format and the title's reference to Putin signal a politically charged, protest-oriented work, aligning with Fairey's long practice of partnering with activists and musicians. However, the supplied source is limited to technical and edition details and does not include an extended artist statement explaining the imagery or specific message, so deeper interpretation should remain cautious. What can be stated confidently is that the collaboration links Fairey's graphic activism to an internationally recognized dissident voice, that the edition of 450 is mid-sized, and that the inclusion of both artists' signatures gives the print added significance for collectors who prioritize co-authored protest art. The Verisart certificate provides contemporary authentication. The piece fits Fairey's collaborations-and-pop-culture thread and his broader engagement with political resistance, but its precise visual content is not elaborated in the source.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors of Fairey collaborations and of politically engaged protest art, especially those drawn to the dual signature of Shepard Fairey and Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova. The co-authorship makes it stand out among Fairey's catalog and gives it cross-collector appeal for those who follow Pussy Riot's activism. With an edition of 450 and a $90 original price, it was a mid-sized, attainable release. It fits a collaboration-focused or political grouping and pairs with Fairey's other activist and music-related collaborations. The Verisart certificate documents provenance. Because the source offers limited descriptive detail, collectors should rely on the dual signature and political subject as its primary draws.
Historical Context
Putin's Ashes (Pussy Riot) belongs to Fairey's contemporary period of activist collaborations, in which he co-produced editioned prints with musicians and political figures. The partnership with Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot connects his graphic protest tradition to a prominent international dissident voice opposing Vladimir Putin, and the dual signature documents that joint authorship. Produced on cream Speckletone paper with a Verisart certificate of authenticity, it reflects his early-2020s studio standards. Within his arc, it exemplifies his ongoing use of collaboration to amplify political resistance, though the supplied source does not provide a detailed artist statement situating the imagery, so its specific place in his thematic development is best described in general terms.
FAQ
Who collaborated on Putin's Ashes?
The print is a collaboration signed by both Shepard Fairey and Nadya Tolokonnikova of the Russian activist collective Pussy Riot. The dual signature is a defining feature of this 2023 Obey Giant release.
What are the print details?
Putin's Ashes (Pussy Riot) is a screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper measuring 18 x 24 inches. It is numbered in an edition of 450, signed by Shepard Fairey and Nadya Tolokonnikova, and was published by Obey Giant in 2023 at an original price of $90.
Does it include authentication?
Yes. According to the source, the print comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart, the studio's contemporary method for documenting authenticity for this release.
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.