Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Fractured (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
The title for this solo exhibition, “Fractured,” reflects not only on the current state of our culture and socio-political dialogue but also the theme of duality that I explore in much of my work. This body of work explores the fractured nature of humanity and modern life, and also the beauty found in the fractures such as the rips and tears of layered works on the street. These imperfections symbolize depth, transformation, and the unexpected beauty of a new creation poetically resulting from a destructive act of transgression. The often-clashing elements in my imagery highlight the yin and yang of exquisite fragility and wholeness—much like our Earth, which is both beautiful and marked by scars and fractures. The recurrent use of rips as a motif in the work reflects the chaos of the streets where much of my art has lived and died but also provides a metaphor for the competitive and frenetic nature of a fractured world. -Shepard PRINT DETAILS: Fractured. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 400. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $60.
Summary
Fractured is a 2025 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Harman Projects in a signed, numbered first edition of 400. It measures 18 x 24 inches on 80# cream Speckletone paper and serves as the title piece for Fairey's solo exhibition of the same name. The work explores the fractured nature of humanity and modern life, drawing on the rips and tears of layered street art as a recurring motif. Fairey frames these imperfections as symbols of depth, transformation, and unexpected beauty arising from destructive acts, reflecting the yin-and-yang duality he often pursues. Issued at $60, it ships with a digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart.
Why It Matters
As the title work for Fairey's solo exhibition Fractured, this print carries thematic weight beyond a standalone release. In his own statement, Fairey ties the title to both the divided state of contemporary culture and socio-political dialogue and to the theme of duality that runs through much of his practice. The rips-and-tears motif is significant because it directly references the lifecycle of his street work, where layered posters are torn, weathered, and destroyed, then become something new. Fairey reframes that destruction as a source of beauty and transformation, presenting fragility and wholeness as two sides of the same condition, much like the Earth he describes as both beautiful and scarred. For collectors, anchoring a piece to a named exhibition adds context and provenance, and the conceptual link between street decay and gallery work makes this a useful piece for understanding how Fairey translates his public art philosophy into editioned prints. Published by Harman Projects rather than Obey Giant, it also marks a gallery collaboration, broadening its appeal to those who track Fairey's exhibition history and the venues that present his work.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors interested in Fairey's exhibition pieces and the conceptual side of his practice, particularly the connection between street decay and studio work. As the namesake of the Fractured solo show, it works well as an anchor piece for collectors who organize their holdings around specific exhibitions or galleries. The Harman Projects publication and the rips-and-tears motif distinguish it from his more overtly political releases, giving it appeal to those drawn to texture, layering, and the duality themes Fairey discusses. At 18 x 24 inches and an edition of 400, it is an accessible, display-friendly format. The $60 issue price and Verisart certificate make it approachable for newer collectors building a thematically coherent group.
Historical Context
Fractured belongs to Fairey's mid-2020s exhibition output and was the title piece for his solo show of the same name, published by Harman Projects rather than his own Obey Giant. The work formalizes a long-running idea in his practice: the rips and tears of layered street posters as both a record of urban decay and a metaphor for transformation. By framing destruction as a source of new beauty, Fairey connects his gallery prints back to the ephemeral life of his public work. The piece also continues his recurring duality theme, the yin-and-yang of fragility and wholeness, extending it to commentary on a culturally divided moment, and situates it within his environmental concerns through the comparison to a scarred Earth.
FAQ
What does the title 'Fractured' refer to?
According to Fairey, the title reflects both the current state of culture and socio-political dialogue and the theme of duality he explores in much of his work. It also points to the fractured nature of humanity and modern life, and the beauty he finds in fractures like the rips and tears of layered street works.
Why does Fairey use rips and tears as a motif?
Fairey describes rips as a recurring motif reflecting the chaos of the streets where much of his art has lived and died. He frames these imperfections as symbols of depth, transformation, and unexpected beauty resulting from a destructive act, and as a metaphor for a competitive, frenetic, fractured world.
What are the edition details?
Fractured 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 400, published by Harman Projects in 2025, and it comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart.
Was this print part of an exhibition?
Yes. The source describes Fractured as the title for Fairey's solo exhibition of the same name, with the print serving as the namesake piece for that body of work exploring duality and the fractured nature of modern life.
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.