Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
Monkey Pod (Green VSE (Variable Stencil Edition))
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Monkey Pod (Green VSE) is a 2021 Variable Stencil Edition on paper, 26.5 x 20.5 inches, in a signed, numbered edition of 20, published by Obey Giant. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and bears the Hecho Con Ganas Publishing Chop in the lower left corner; the original price was $3000. The image derives from a monkey pod tree on the grounds of The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, where Fairey completed a residency in 2005. He describes it as a chance to make decorative, beautiful art celebrating nature while still incorporating his OBEY iconography, given Hawaii's ban on outdoor advertising.
Collector notes: First Edition · Gold Gift Edition · Green VSE (Variable Stencil Edition) · Red & Gold VSE (Variable Stencil Edition); saved release record states an edition size of 20. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under OBEY iconography for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.
Historical Context
In the artist's words / from the release record:
“I originally made the Monkey Pod image based on a tree on the grounds of The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, where I completed a residency back in 2005. I was presented with a unique conundrum: Hawaii doesn't have outdoor advertising, which my street art was designed to compete with and make people question. After visiting Hawaii, I realized that the primary form of propaganda was not advertising but the clichés of Hawaii itself: Coke machines have palm trees instead of Coke logos on them, phone booths have floral patterns running down the side, and everyone wears Aloha shirts. All the clich
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned stencil work
- Release date
- 2021-04-20
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Series
- OBEY Icon Series
- Medium and materials
- Hand Painted Multiple; catalog dimensions 20.5 x 26.5 in.
- Edition details
- First Edition · Gold Gift Edition · Green VSE (Variable Stencil Edition) · Red & Gold VSE (Variable Stencil Edition); saved release record states an edition size of 20.
- Signature and marks
- The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: Shepard Fairey's OBEY / Andre the Giant campaign began in 1989 and grew into a long print and public-art practice; this page treats that as career context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition.
Meaning / interpretation: In the artist's or release record's own words: “I originally made the Monkey Pod image based on a tree on the grounds of The Contemporary Museum in Honolulu, where I completed a residency back in 2005. I was presented with a unique conundrum: Hawaii doesn't have outdoor advertising, which my street art was designed to compete with and make people question. After visiting Hawaii, I realized that the primary form of propaganda was not advertising but the clichés of Hawaii itself: Coke machines have palm trees instead of Coke logos on them, phone booths have floral patterns running down the side, and everyone wears Aloha shirts. All the clich. This can be read as the documented intent for the work; no additional endorsement is assumed. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2021-04-20 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under OBEY Icon Series in the saved record. The saved record notes an original release price of GBP £3,000.00.
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 Obey Giant. 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, date, edition, dimensions, medium, release price, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- About — Shepard Fairey / OBEY GIANT — Obey Giant · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official OBEY GIANT artist biography and career context; it is not an individual-edition record.
- Shepard Fairey — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Shepard Fairey (Q1142847) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.