Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Wave Of Distress (2025)”?
Artist Statement
Screenprint Edition 18 x 24 in. 4-color screenprint Thick cream-speckled tone paper White border Hand-signed & numbered Edition of 350 prints XL Variant Edition 30 x 40 in. Canson Aquarelle 310gsm fine art paper Full-bleed with hand-deckled edges Hand-signed & numbered Edition of 100 prints Holographic Lava Foil Edition 18 x 24 in. White matte pearl lava foil Eco-friendly inks and varnish layering Hand-signed & numbered Edition of 75 prints
Summary
Wave Of Distress (2025) is a Shepard Fairey screen print published by PangeaSeed addressing environment and climate themes. The main first edition is a 4-color screenprint, 18 x 24 inches, on thick cream-speckled tone paper with a white border, hand-signed and numbered in an edition of 350, priced at $85. The release also includes an XL Variant on Canson Aquarelle paper (30 x 40 in., full-bleed deckled edges, edition of 100) and a Holographic Lava Foil Edition (18 x 24 in., white matte pearl lava foil, edition of 75). The imagery centers on an ocean wave evoking environmental distress.
Why It Matters
Wave Of Distress ties Fairey to PangeaSeed, an organization associated with ocean and marine-conservation art activism, making this a cause-aligned environmental release. The wave motif distills climate and ocean anxiety into a single charged image, consistent with Fairey's long-running environmental advocacy. What distinguishes this release is its tiered structure: a 350-run main screenprint alongside a more exclusive 100-run XL on premium Canson Aquarelle paper and a 75-run Holographic Lava Foil version using eco-friendly inks and varnish layering. That three-format approach lets collectors enter at different commitment levels while the foil and XL variants offer genuine scarcity within the release. For collectors, the work documents Fairey's continued partnerships with environmental causes and his use of editioning to fund and amplify them. It appears to align with his broader water, wave, and climate output, and the eco-conscious materials of the foil edition reinforce the message in the object itself. The mix of accessible pricing and limited premium variants broadens its reach.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors of Fairey's environmental work and to those who value cause-aligned releases tied to ocean conservation. Entry is accessible at $85 for the 350-edition screenprint, while the 100-run XL and 75-run Holographic Lava Foil variants attract collectors seeking scarcity and material novelty within the same image. The 18 x 24 inch screenprint is a manageable, frame-ready size; the 30 x 40 inch XL is a statement piece. Hand-signing and numbering across all formats add provenance. Buyers building a Fairey environmental or wave-themed grouping gain a flexible multi-tier release, and the foil edition in particular offers a distinctive collectible for those drawn to specialty finishes.
Historical Context
The print sits within Fairey's sustained environmental activism and his pattern of partnering with mission-driven organizations, here PangeaSeed, known for ocean-focused art programs. The wave subject extends a recurring motif in his catalog, including an earlier blue Wave Of Distress, situating this 2025 release as a continuation rather than a departure. The multi-format structure, an accessible screenprint plus scarce XL and foil variants, reflects a now-common Fairey release strategy that balances broad access with collector exclusivity. It reinforces his role in using fine-art editions to support environmental causes within his Modern Activism phase.
FAQ
What editions does this release include?
Three formats. The main screenprint is 18 x 24 inches, 4-color on cream-speckled paper, edition of 350 at $85. An XL Variant is 30 x 40 inches on Canson Aquarelle paper, edition of 100. A Holographic Lava Foil Edition is 18 x 24 inches in white matte pearl lava foil, edition of 75. All are hand-signed and numbered.
Who published it?
It was published by PangeaSeed, an organization linked to ocean and marine-conservation art activism. The partnership aligns the wave imagery with an environmental cause.
What is the theme?
The source pairs it with environment and climate. The wave motif distills ocean and climate distress into a single image, consistent with Fairey's long-running environmental advocacy.
Which version is most limited?
The Holographic Lava Foil Edition is the smallest at 75 prints, followed by the XL Variant at 100. The main screenprint is the largest run at 350, making it the most accessible at $85.
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.