← Gauntlet · The Shepard Fairey Print Reference high_search
Click to enlarge

Gauntlet Gallery

What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “God Save Abortion”?

Year2025
MediumScreen Print
Dimensions24 x 18 in
EditionFirst Edition
Edition size550
PublisherObey Giant
Original release price$90
SeriesWomen Series
EraModern Activism Era
Collector8/10
Visual7/10
Historical7/10
ScarcityModerate

Artist Statement

I've talked to God, and they told me they want abortions free and legal. -Nadya Tolokonnikova Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot is a feminist… I am also a feminist. Feminism is defined as: belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests. Nadya and I were both appalled by the regressive overturning of Roe Vs. Wade, creating a threat to women's access to abortion and right to make choices for their own bodies. This God Save Abortion print is a response to abortion restrictions and the general disrespect for women displayed by Republicans. It is also a call for all allies to stand up for women's rights! Nadya and Pussy Riot have staged several powerful protests and created art and music based on women's rights, including asking the Virgin Mary to "become a feminist." Nadya is currently bringing her experience with oppression to Los Angeles at the MOCA Geffen Contemporary in her durational performance and installation POLICE STATE (open June 5-14) - where she inhabits a prison cell at all open hours of the museum and creates an eerie soundscape, utilizing found audio footage from actual Russian jails. Inside the cell, she contemplates art by current and former political prisoners from Belarus, Russia, and the United States. A portion of the proceeds from this print will benefit the work of Planned Parenthood. -Shepard PRINT DETAILS: God Save Abortion. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Original Illustration based on video art directed by Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Nadya Tolokonnikova. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $90

Summary

God Save Abortion is a 2025 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed, numbered first edition of 550. Measuring 18 x 24 inches on 80# cream Speckletone paper, the image is an original illustration based on video art directed by Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot, and is signed by both artists. The print responds directly to abortion restrictions following the overturning of Roe v. Wade and stands as a call for allies to defend women's rights. Issued at $90, it ships with a digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Planned Parenthood.

Why It Matters

This print sits at the intersection of Fairey's protest tradition and a high-profile collaboration with Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot, a globally recognized feminist activist. The work was created as a direct response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the resulting restrictions on abortion access, which both artists describe as an attack on women's right to make choices about their own bodies. By basing the image on Tolokonnikova's video art and co-signing it, Fairey frames the print as a shared act of solidarity rather than a solo statement. The connection to Tolokonnikova's durational POLICE STATE performance at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary, where she inhabited a prison cell and engaged with art by political prisoners, deepens the work's grounding in lived activism. For collectors, the charitable tie to Planned Parenthood and the dual signatures of two well-known dissident artists give the piece both documentary weight and cultural resonance. It is a clear example of Fairey using the print medium to channel proceeds and attention toward an urgent civil-rights cause, making it a meaningful entry for anyone tracking his explicitly feminist and reproductive-rights work.

Collector Perspective

This print appeals to collectors who follow Fairey's activist output and to those drawn to Pussy Riot and feminist protest art. The dual signatures of Shepard Fairey and Nadya Tolokonnikova make it a natural cornerstone for a collection focused on women's rights, reproductive freedom, or artist-activist collaborations. At an 18 x 24 inch format, it displays comfortably alongside other Obey Giant screen prints and reads strongly as a statement piece in a politically themed grouping. The edition of 550 keeps it accessible while the Planned Parenthood proceeds and Verisart certificate add provenance appeal for buyers who value cause-driven art. Collectors interested in the documentary side of contemporary protest will appreciate its direct connection to a specific moment in the post-Roe debate.

Historical Context

God Save Abortion fits squarely within Fairey's ongoing use of the print medium as activist tool, here applied to the post-Roe v. Wade reproductive-rights debate of the mid-2020s. The collaboration with Nadya Tolokonnikova extends his long history of working with musicians and counterculture figures, this time pairing his graphic language with a feminist performance artist whose Pussy Riot protests targeted state and church authority. The source ties the print to Tolokonnikova's 2025 POLICE STATE installation at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary, anchoring the work to a specific contemporary exhibition moment. As a 2025 Obey Giant release benefiting Planned Parenthood, it belongs to Fairey's continuing practice of releasing cause-aligned editions, and it underscores how his recent work increasingly foregrounds women's rights and bodily autonomy as central themes.

FAQ

Who collaborated with Shepard Fairey on this print?

The print is an original illustration based on video art directed by Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot, a feminist activist. According to the source, the work is signed by both Shepard Fairey and Nadya Tolokonnikova, making it a co-authored collaboration responding to threats against women's access to abortion.

What is the edition size and format?

It is a screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper, measuring 18 x 24 inches. The source states it is a signed, numbered first edition of 550 published by Obey Giant in 2025, and it comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart.

Does this print support a cause?

Yes. According to the source, a portion of the proceeds from this print benefits the work of Planned Parenthood. The print was created as a response to abortion restrictions and as a call for allies to stand up for women's rights following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

What does the print respond to?

Fairey describes it as a response to abortion restrictions and the disrespect for women he attributes to recent political action, prompted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. It draws on Nadya Tolokonnikova's feminist protest work, including Pussy Riot's history of art and music about women's rights.

Related Works

About the Artist

Shepard Fairey portrait

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.