Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Face To D*Face”?
Artist Statement
28cm x 31cm x 9cm Mixed media on hand-laquered A-grade plywood with solid steel inlay Uniquely numbered, etched steel plaque at the back Each comes in an exclusive, printed, foam lined box, COA signed by both artists, Face to D*Face tote bag and stickers.
Summary
Face To D*Face is a 2023 collaborative sculptural object by Shepard Fairey and D*Face, published by StolenSpace in a uniquely numbered first edition of 50. Measuring 28 x 31 x 9 cm, it is mixed media on hand-lacquered A-grade plywood with a solid steel inlay and an etched, numbered steel plaque on the back. Each piece ships in an exclusive printed, foam-lined box and includes a COA signed by both artists, a Face to D*Face tote bag, and stickers. The work fuses Fairey's OBEY iconography with D*Face's visual language, presenting the OBEY face motif as a hand-finished collectible object rather than a flat print.
Why It Matters
Face To D*Face is notable as a cross-artist collaboration that translates Fairey's OBEY iconography into a hand-finished, three-dimensional object. Where most Fairey releases are paper prints, this piece uses hand-lacquered plywood and a solid steel inlay, making it a tactile, sculptural artifact co-authored with British street artist D*Face. The small edition of 50, the dual-signed COA, and the bespoke presentation, a printed foam-lined box with tote and stickers, position it as a premium collector item rather than a mass release. Collaborations between two recognized street-art figures carry added significance because they merge two collector followings and two visual vocabularies into a single object. The etched, individually numbered steel plaque reinforces its status as a finished art object. For collectors, the combination of low edition size, mixed-media construction, and joint authorship makes this one of the more distinctive and ambitious objects in Fairey's collaborative output, standing apart from his standard screen-print catalog.
Collector Perspective
This object suits collectors of OBEY iconography and of street-art collaborations who want a sculptural, hand-finished piece rather than a print on paper. The small edition of 50, dual-artist signed COA, and premium packaging appeal to buyers focused on rarity and presentation, and the steel-and-plywood construction gives it display flexibility as a shelf or wall object. It fits a collection oriented around the OBEY face motif and around Fairey's joint projects with other artists. At a higher original price point than his paper editions, it targets dedicated collectors building depth in his three-dimensional and collaborative work. The included tote and stickers add appeal for completists.
Historical Context
Face To D*Face represents Fairey's continued practice of collaborating with fellow street artists and of extending his OBEY face icon beyond the printed page. Published by StolenSpace, the London gallery long associated with D*Face, the 2023 piece pairs Fairey with a key figure in British street art, merging their respective styles in a single mixed-media object. Within Fairey's arc, it sits in his sculptural and object-based output, a category distinct from his screen prints and lithographs, and reflects the OBEY icon's ongoing reinterpretation across media. The hand-lacquered plywood, steel inlay, and etched numbered plaque show the craft-object direction of his higher-end collaborative releases. It exemplifies how the OBEY iconography has remained a flexible brand that Fairey reworks through partnerships and new materials.
FAQ
Is Face To D*Face a print or a sculpture?
It is a sculptural, hand-finished object, not a paper print. The source describes it as mixed media on hand-lacquered A-grade plywood with a solid steel inlay, measuring 28 x 31 x 9 cm, with a uniquely numbered etched steel plaque on the back.
Who created this piece?
It is a collaboration between Shepard Fairey and D*Face, published by StolenSpace. The accompanying Certificate of Authenticity is signed by both artists, per the source listing.
What is the edition size?
The work is a uniquely numbered first edition of 50, making it a small-edition collaborative object compared with Fairey's larger screen-print runs.
What is included with the object?
Each piece comes in an exclusive printed, foam-lined box and includes a COA signed by both artists, a Face to D*Face tote bag, and stickers, according to the source.
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.