Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Ominous Ripples”?
Artist Statement
This "Ominous Ripples" print is a metaphor for the environmental peril we have created and the struggles future generations will face just to navigate climate-related problems like super storms, drought, famine, population displacement, and, of course, rising sea levels. We are already treading water, drowning and suffocating even if many of us haven't comprehended the scale of the problem or reach of the ripples yet. The lack of progress on climate change and pollution is largely due to the oversized influence of deep-pocketed oil companies. Billionaires, corporations, and politicians aren't going to save the planet so we the people need to support a transition to responsible energy sources. This Earth Day, I am proud to support Greenpeace because they uplift the people – grassroots activists, determined researchers, climate champions – who actually do the work. From fighting Big Oil in court to running campaigns that change policy...they are unrelenting. Please join me in making a contribution if you're able to (and gifts will be matched 4x on Earth Day, so your support will go even further!) Visit: greenpeace.org/usa/earth -Shepard PRINT DETAILS: Ominous Ripples. 24" H x 36" W. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 500. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $100
Summary
Ominous Ripples is a 2026 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed, numbered first edition of 500. It measures 24 inches high by 36 inches wide, printed on 80# cream Speckletone paper, and ships with a Verisart digital Certificate of Authenticity. Listed at $100, the print is Fairey's stated metaphor for environmental peril and the climate struggles facing future generations, including super storms, drought, famine, displacement, and rising sea levels. Released around Earth Day in support of Greenpeace, the image frames climate change as ripples already engulfing those who have not yet grasped the problem's scale.
Why It Matters
Ominous Ripples is a clear example of Fairey's environmental activism, using a water-and-ripples metaphor to dramatize the scale of climate peril. In his statement, Fairey describes humanity as already treading water and suffocating, faulting the oversized influence of deep-pocketed oil companies for the lack of progress on climate change and pollution. He frames the work around an Earth Day appeal in support of Greenpeace, explicitly aligning the print with grassroots climate activism and a call for transition to responsible energy. This positions Ominous Ripples within Fairey's substantial body of environmental work and his pattern of pairing art with concrete causes. For collectors, the appeal is twofold: a visually striking horizontal composition and a documented activist purpose tied to a recognized organization. At $100 in an edition of 500 with Verisart authentication, it is accessible and broadly available. Its significance lies in continuing Fairey's role as an artist who uses editions as platforms for environmental advocacy, extending themes of climate urgency and corporate critique that recur across his recent catalog and resonate with the current moment of climate concern.
Collector Perspective
Ominous Ripples suits collectors focused on Fairey's environmental and climate-themed work and those who value art tied to activist causes. The horizontal 24 x 36 inch format makes a bold landscape-oriented statement, distinct from his more common vertical prints. At $100 in a numbered edition of 500, it is accessible for mid-level and newer collectors. Its Earth Day release and stated support for Greenpeace add narrative and cause-based appeal for buyers who want their collection to carry a message. The signature and Verisart digital COA reassure on authenticity. It fits naturally into an environmental-series grouping alongside Fairey's other climate and nature works.
Historical Context
Ominous Ripples extends Fairey's sustained environmental advocacy, a strand of his work that has grown prominent in his recent catalog through climate-and-nature themed releases. Published by Obey Giant and tied to an Earth Day appeal for Greenpeace, it reflects his ongoing practice of linking editions to concrete causes and grassroots organizations. The corporate critique of oil companies in his statement connects to his broader skepticism of deep-pocketed influence over policy. Within his arc, this 2026 release reaffirms Fairey's role as an environmentally engaged artist in his modern-activism period, using accessible screen-print editions as platforms to dramatize climate urgency and mobilize collector support for environmental causes.
FAQ
What does Ominous Ripples represent?
Fairey describes it as a metaphor for environmental peril and the climate struggles future generations face, including super storms, drought, famine, displacement, and rising sea levels, framing humanity as already treading water.
What cause is the print connected to?
Released around Earth Day, Fairey states the print supports Greenpeace and its grassroots climate activists, researchers, and campaigns, encouraging contributions to the organization.
What are the size, medium, and edition?
It is a screen print measuring 24 inches high by 36 inches wide on 80# cream Speckletone paper, issued as a signed, numbered first edition of 500 with a Verisart digital Certificate of Authenticity. It was priced at $100.
Who published the print?
Ominous Ripples was published by Obey Giant in 2026 and is signed by Shepard Fairey.
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.