Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
Obey Shadowplay (Offset Lithograph)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Obey Shadowplay (Offset Lithograph) is a 2023 Obey Giant print, 24 x 36 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper, signed by Shepard Fairey. The source lists the Blue colorway among several (Blue, Offset Lithograph, Orange, Paris Colourway). The image is a pop-noir face built from shadow, inspired by punk, post-punk, and new wave music graphics that combined original and found imagery. Shadowplay references both the shadows in the face and Joy Division and their designer Peter Saville, noting the band's debut television performance of Shadowplay 45 years earlier. It was offered at $35; edition is unnumbered in the source.
Collector notes: Legacy catalog label: Blue · Offset Lithograph · Orange · Paris Colourway; total quantity was not documented in the saved record. The saved release record describes: signed. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under Music and counterculture for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.
Historical Context
In the artist's words / from the release record:
“This Shadowplay print is inspired by punk, post-punk, and new wave music graphics that combined original art and found imagery in subversive and enigmatic ways. I love that a lot of those graphics are technically crude yet visually sophisticated. That kind of art inspired my earliest high school experiments with a copy machine, x-acto knife, and stencils. Shadowplay is a reference to the shadows of the face in my pop-noir image, but also to Joy Division and their graphic designer, Peter Saville, who crafted their beautiful and haunting covers from found and manipulated imagery. Coincidentally
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned lithograph
- Release date
- 2023-09-21
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Series
- Music Series
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print; catalog dimensions 36 x 24 in; cream Speckletone paper noted in the release description.
- Edition details
- Legacy catalog label: Blue · Offset Lithograph · Orange · Paris Colourway; total quantity was not documented in the saved record.
- 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: 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: “This Shadowplay print is inspired by punk, post-punk, and new wave music graphics that combined original art and found imagery in subversive and enigmatic ways. I love that a lot of those graphics are technically crude yet visually sophisticated. That kind of art inspired my earliest high school experiments with a copy machine, x-acto knife, and stencils. Shadowplay is a reference to the shadows of the face in my pop-noir image, but also to Joy Division and their graphic designer, Peter Saville, who crafted their beautiful and haunting covers from found and manipulated imagery. Coincidentally. 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 2023-09-21 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under Music Series in the saved record. The saved record notes an original release price of USD $35.00.
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.