Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Lodown / Obey”?
Artist Statement
It has been a long time since Obey Giant and Lodown Magazine collided and left their mark on popular culture. Almost thirty years ago, the paths of Shepard Fairey and Thomas "Marok" Marecki crossed in San Diego, USA. Lodown Magazine was still in its infancy, and Fairey's artistic evolution was only beginning. Both shared the same urge: to stir things up, to inject activism into culture, and to build something of their own. From Cold War West Berlin to 90s Southern California, their paths were shaped by signals of freedom broadcast across borders and the restless urge to disrupt. Today, those signals are fractured. The Pax Americana has crumbled, elites have failed, and trust has decayed. A reset is no longer optional. It must come from below — through art, through voices unafraid, through new networks of resistance and connection. Decay is the reminder. Reset is the challenge. The time is now. PRINT DETAILS: Lodown/Obey - Decay Reset. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. In collaboration with Lodown Magazine and Obey Clothing. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 450. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $75.
Summary
Lodown / Obey (Decay Reset) is a 2025 screen print made in collaboration with Lodown Magazine and Obey Clothing. Measuring 18 x 24 inches on 80# cream Speckletone paper, it is a signed, numbered first edition of 450, published by Obey Giant at $75. The work marks the roughly thirty-year connection between Shepard Fairey and Lodown founder Thomas 'Marok' Marecki, whose paths crossed in San Diego. Its 'Decay Reset' theme frames decay as a reminder and reset as a challenge, calling for renewal through art and new networks of resistance. Each print comes with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity.
Why It Matters
Lodown / Obey commemorates a long creative friendship and a shared subcultural lineage, marking nearly thirty years since Fairey and Lodown Magazine founder Thomas 'Marok' Marecki crossed paths in San Diego. The source frames both figures as driven by a common urge to stir things up and inject activism into culture, tracing influences from Cold War West Berlin to 1990s Southern California. That history makes the print a document of street-culture cross-pollination as much as a standalone image. The 'Decay Reset' concept gives it a pointed contemporary message: with trust decayed and a reset framed as no longer optional, the work argues for renewal driven from below through art and new networks of resistance. For collectors, the three-way collaboration between Fairey, Lodown Magazine, and Obey Clothing adds provenance and ties the piece to publishing and apparel histories beyond fine-art prints. As a signed edition of 450 from 2025, it is relatively contained, appealing to those who follow Fairey's collaborative output and the broader graphic-culture ecosystem he helped shape.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors of Fairey's collaborations and to followers of street and skate publishing culture, particularly fans of Lodown Magazine. The three-way collaboration with Lodown and Obey Clothing gives it cross-disciplinary provenance that distinguishes it from solo releases. At 18 x 24 inches with a 'Decay Reset' message, it displays well alongside other OBEY iconography and collaboration works. The signed, numbered edition of 450 with a Verisart certificate provides documentation, and at $75 it is accessibly priced. The relatively contained edition size adds appeal for collectors who value collaborative pieces with a clear narrative. It fits collections organized around Fairey's collaborations or his graphic-culture lineage, offering a documented tie to a long creative friendship.
Historical Context
Lodown / Obey looks back across nearly thirty years to when Fairey and Thomas 'Marok' Marecki met in San Diego, when Lodown Magazine was in its infancy and Fairey's artistic evolution was only beginning. The source traces their shared formation from Cold War West Berlin to 1990s Southern California, situating the print within the graphic and street-culture networks that shaped Fairey's early career. Released in 2025 as a collaboration with Lodown Magazine and Obey Clothing, the 'Decay Reset' edition reframes that history toward a present-day call for renewal from below. Published by Obey Giant in an edition of 450, it continues Fairey's practice of collaborative releases that connect his iconography to the publishing and apparel cultures he has long inhabited.
FAQ
Who collaborated on this print?
The print was made in collaboration with Lodown Magazine and Obey Clothing. It marks the connection between Shepard Fairey and Lodown founder Thomas 'Marok' Marecki, whose paths first crossed in San Diego almost thirty years ago. It is signed by Shepard Fairey.
What does 'Decay Reset' mean?
The full title is Lodown/Obey - Decay Reset. The source frames decay as a reminder and reset as a challenge, arguing that with trust decayed, a reset is no longer optional and must come from below through art, fearless voices, and new networks of resistance and connection.
What are the specifications?
Lodown/Obey measures 18 x 24 inches and is a screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. It is signed by Shepard Fairey and is a numbered first edition of 450, published by Obey Giant. The original price was $75, with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity.
What is the history behind the collaboration?
Per the source, Fairey and Thomas 'Marok' Marecki met in San Diego nearly thirty years ago, when Lodown Magazine was in its infancy and Fairey's art was only beginning. The text traces their shared influences from Cold War West Berlin to 90s Southern California and a common urge to disrupt culture.
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.