Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Faile Print Index
Marmaid (Unsigned)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
"Marmaid" is a 2003 Faile screen print, printed large at 100 x 70 cm in an edition of 750, with numbers 1-100 signed by the artist and the balance unsigned. This impression falls in the unsigned tier. Its poster-scale format and wry, provocative copy sit squarely within Faile's early street-derived aesthetic.
Collector notes: Signed; saved release record states an edition size of 650. The saved release record describes: signed. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
At 100 x 70 cm this is one of Faile's larger early editions, a wall-filling screen print from 2003, the collective's formative gallery period. The tongue-in-cheek marketing language paired with layered imagery captures the group's roots in provocative street posters and their fluency in the ironic vocabulary of advertising and pop culture.
Collector Perspective
This is an unsigned impression from the wider portion of the 750-run edition; the signed 1-100 numbers form a smaller, generally more sought-after subset. For collectors, the appeal here is the large format and the strong early-Faile aesthetic at an accessible entry point. Given the scale, inspect for creasing, edge wear, and light-fastness before framing.
Historical Context
Formed in Brooklyn around 2003, Faile built its language from wheat-pasted street posters that mixed comic panels, romance imagery, and consumer typography. "Marmaid" belongs to that early output, when the collective translated flyposting energy into screen-printed editions. The large format echoes the scale of the posters they were then pasting across city walls.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2003
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print; catalog dimensions 100 x 70 cm.
- Edition details
- Signed; saved release record states an edition size of 650.
- Signature and marks
- The saved release record describes: signed. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Faile's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: Formed in Brooklyn around 2003, Faile built its language from wheat-pasted street posters that mixed comic panels, romance imagery, and consumer typography. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2003 and attributes the edition to Pictures On Walls.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to Pictures On Walls. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, year, edition, dimensions, medium, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- FAILE — official site — FAILE studio · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official studio site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
- FAILE (artist collaboration) — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
FAQ
Is this impression of Marmaid signed?
No. This is an unsigned impression. Within the edition of 750, only numbers 1-100 were signed by the artist; this example is from the unsigned balance.
How big is the print?
It measures 100 x 70 cm, making it one of the larger early Faile screen-print editions.
What is the total edition size?
The edition is 750, of which the first 100 were signed and the remainder, including this one, left unsigned.
When was it produced?
It dates to 2003, during Faile's early transition from street posters to gallery editions.
