Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Global Harmony”?
Artist Statement
The Global Harmony print incorporates a mandala, a symbol of harmony and wholeness, at the center of a target. The bird and globe engraving suggests the possibility of thinking about the planet's future with a unified global perspective. The target symbolizes both the aim of constructive paths forward and also the attacks on the acknowledgment of global peril by fossil fuel corporations and the climate change deniers they prop up in politics. Will the flame be the symbol of inspiration or destruction? The choice is ours! A portion of this edition will be sold in Singapore in conjunction with my "The Future is Unwritten" exhibition at Opera Gallery. Greenpeace USA will receive a portion of proceeds from the sale of this print to benefit their efforts to combat climate change. –Shepard PRINT DETAILS: Global Harmony. 24 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $90.
Summary
Global Harmony is a 2023 Obey Giant screen print, 24 x 24 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper, in a numbered edition of 550 and signed by Shepard Fairey. The source describes a mandala, a symbol of harmony and wholeness, at the center of a target, with a bird and globe engraving suggesting a unified global perspective on the planet's future. The target represents both constructive paths forward and the attacks on climate acknowledgment by fossil-fuel corporations. A portion of the edition was sold in Singapore alongside Fairey's The Future is Unwritten exhibition at Opera Gallery, and Greenpeace USA receives a portion of proceeds. It was offered at $90.
Why It Matters
Global Harmony distills Fairey's environmental message into a symmetrical, symbol-laden composition that rewards close reading. The source explains its layered iconography: a mandala for harmony and wholeness, a target signifying both constructive aims and the assault on climate truth by fossil-fuel interests and the deniers they back, and a bird-and-globe engraving urging a unified planetary perspective. The rhetorical question of whether the flame signals inspiration or destruction underscores the choice-driven framing Fairey favors. Its square 24 x 24 inch format and mandala structure make it one of his more decorative yet message-dense climate prints, appealing to collectors who value strong central symmetry. The tie to his The Future is Unwritten exhibition at Opera Gallery in Singapore adds exhibition provenance and an international dimension, while the Greenpeace USA proceeds reinforce the activist commitment running through his 2023 environmental output. For collectors, the combination of a mandala motif, a globe, and a clear climate argument differentiates it from his slogan-only prints, offering both visual symmetry and substantive content. It stands as a centerpiece-style environmental work within the period's series.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who favor mandala and symmetrical compositions as well as those focused on environmental themes. The square 24 x 24 inch format makes it a natural centerpiece, hanging strongly on its own or anchoring a grid of related climate prints. The Opera Gallery Singapore exhibition connection and Greenpeace USA proceeds appeal to buyers who value exhibition provenance and cause alignment. Its rich central imagery, mandala, target, bird, and globe, gives it more decorative versatility than text-driven prints, broadening its display appeal. Within a collection it fits the environmental grouping while also satisfying collectors who seek Fairey's mandala-structured works specifically.
Historical Context
Global Harmony belongs to Fairey's environmental period and to his international exhibition activity in 2023, when a portion of the edition was tied to The Future is Unwritten at Opera Gallery in Singapore. Its mandala-and-target structure reflects his recurring use of centralized, symmetrical symbolism to frame political and ecological arguments. The Greenpeace USA partnership places it alongside his other 2023 climate prints that share materials, edition structure, and charitable purpose. Within his arc, it represents the strand where decorative geometry and pointed climate messaging converge, using familiar harmony symbols to confront fossil-fuel corporations and climate denial.
FAQ
What do the symbols in Global Harmony mean?
The source explains the print centers a mandala, a symbol of harmony and wholeness, within a target. The bird and globe engraving suggests a unified global perspective on the planet's future, and the target represents both constructive paths forward and the attacks on climate acknowledgment by fossil-fuel corporations.
Was this connected to an exhibition?
Yes. According to the source, a portion of the edition was sold in Singapore in conjunction with Fairey's The Future is Unwritten exhibition at Opera Gallery. Greenpeace USA also receives a portion of proceeds to benefit its efforts to combat climate change.
What are the size and edition details?
Global Harmony measures 24 x 24 inches and is a screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. It is a numbered edition of 550, signed by Shepard Fairey, and comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. It was offered at $90.
What is the meaning of the flame?
The source poses it as a choice: will the flame be the symbol of inspiration or destruction? Fairey writes that the choice is ours, framing the print around human responsibility for the planet's future and the urgency of confronting climate denial.
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.