Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Chaos Mandala 2”?
Artist Statement
Chaos Mandala 2 is a new colorway of my original screenprint Chaos Mandala. This print merges two seemingly contrasting concepts and aesthetics…chaos and harmony. I have always been fascinated by the cyclical chaos of posters and graffiti accumulating on the streets and then being ripped at by humans and the elements. There is beauty in the layering and in accepting that there are too many variables of push and pull for any of us to control them all. For me, the philosophy to embrace is "enjoy the ride and savor the ephemeral". In my backgrounds I'm often trying to replicate in my studio the charm of the layering and chaos one finds on the streets but using my own patterns and collage. Mandalas on the other hand are symbols of harmony, wholeness, and the universe in its ideal form. Chaos and harmony might seem hard to reconcile, but Buddhist monks poetically address the paradox of striving for harmony but accepting impermanence and destruction with their rituals of creating and destroying elaborate sand mandalas. Obviously, the mandala is a motif and a meditation that I come back to at times to reflect on all of the symbolism mentioned above. You'll see that this new colorway is a complementary version to a recent release as well. If you were unable to get that one, perhaps you'll have luck with this, or maybe you want the set. Either way, thanks for the support! -Shepard Chaos Mandala 2. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on 80# cream speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $60
Summary
Chaos Mandala 2 is a 2025 screen print, 18 x 24 inches, on 80# cream Speckletone paper, signed and numbered in a first edition of 550 published by Obey Giant. It is a new colorway of Fairey's original Chaos Mandala screen print. The image again merges chaos and harmony, drawing on his fascination with the cyclical layering and tearing of street posters and graffiti, recreated through his own patterns and collage, set against the mandala as a symbol of harmony, wholeness, and the universe in ideal form. Fairey cites Buddhist monks' creation and destruction of sand mandalas and notes this version complements a recent release. Priced at $60.
Why It Matters
Chaos Mandala 2 demonstrates Fairey's practice of issuing complementary colorways of imagery he finds especially resonant, here giving collectors a second route to a motif he says he returns to in order to reflect on harmony and impermanence. As a variant of the original Chaos Mandala, it carries the same conceptual core, the reconciliation of street-born chaos with the mandala's ideal order, while offering a distinct palette that completes a deliberate set. Fairey explicitly frames it as a chance for those who missed the first release, or who want both, underscoring the collectible, paired nature of the two prints. The work restates his governing philosophy of enjoying the ride and savoring the ephemeral, and his method of recreating the charm of accumulated street layering through studio patterns and collage. For collectors, the appeal lies both in its standalone meditative imagery and in its function as the second half of a matched pair, making set acquisition attractive. At $60 with an edition of 550, it remains an accessible signed screen print anchored in one of Fairey's most contemplative recurring symbols.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors pursuing complete sets and to those drawn to Fairey's meditative mandala imagery in an alternate colorway. Its value is amplified for anyone who already owns the original Chaos Mandala, since Fairey presents the two as complementary, and it equally stands alone as a calming, symmetrical focal point for design-forward interiors. At $60 in an edition of 550, it is among his more affordable signed screen prints. It fits a mandala or pattern-themed grouping and pairs directly with the original Chaos Mandala and related peace mandala works. The signature, numbering, and Verisart certificate document it as an official Obey Giant release.
Historical Context
Chaos Mandala 2 extends Fairey's 2025 mandala series as a colorway variant of the original Chaos Mandala, reflecting his established practice of releasing complementary versions of resonant images. Published by Obey Giant, it sits alongside his other 2025 mandala-based works that explore order, disorder, and impermanence. The Buddhist sand-mandala framing and the studio recreation of street layering through patterns and collage place it within the meditative, symbol-driven strand of his contemporary output that runs parallel to his explicitly political editions. As the second of a paired release, it illustrates how Fairey uses variant colorways to deepen engagement with motifs he repeatedly revisits across his career.
FAQ
How is Chaos Mandala 2 different from the original?
Chaos Mandala 2 is a new colorway of Fairey's original Chaos Mandala screen print. It shares the same imagery and concept, merging chaos and harmony, but offers a complementary palette. Fairey notes it complements a recent release and that collectors may want the set.
What concept does the print explore?
It merges chaos and harmony, drawing on the cyclical chaos of street posters and graffiti accumulating and being torn, recreated through Fairey's own patterns and collage, set against the mandala as a symbol of harmony, wholeness, and the universe in its ideal form.
What are the edition details?
Chaos Mandala 2 is a screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches on 80# cream Speckletone paper, signed by Shepard Fairey and numbered in an edition of 550. Published by Obey Giant in 2025, it includes a digital Certificate of Authenticity from Verisart and was priced at $60.
Why does Fairey return to the mandala motif?
Fairey describes the mandala as a motif and meditation he comes back to, referencing Buddhist monks who create and destroy elaborate sand mandalas as a way of striving for harmony while accepting impermanence and destruction.
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.