Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
Race To The Bottom Letterpress
Work Summary & Collector Notes
When I was creating my Damaged art show, the largest show of my career so far, I decided to turn a 2-dimensional illustration I had made for an image called “No Future” into a sculpture. While developing the different views to create the sculpture, I made an illustration from a front-facing angle of the figure that was seen from behind in the original illustration. This gave me an opportunity to introduce new text and imagery on the reverse side of the newspaper. The text says “Race to the Bottom…Marathon Turns Out to be a Sprint.” My original “No Future (For Apathy! Ignorance! Sexism! Xenophobia! Racism!)” was inspired by the tactics Trump used as a campaigner to exploit the fears and hostilities of a largely uninformed group of the populous. I was astounded that those tactics resonated then, but since the election, the tactics Trump has used in office have been as bad or worse because he now has hand-picked people for his administration who serve his agenda deviously while ignoring what is best for the public. The deterioration of public service and civility has proceeded with much greater speed than I had anticipated. I’m fond of this second version of the image aesthetically, but I also felt it was important to revisit the need for creating such an image in the first place. Let’s hope that the type of uncivilized tactics of the new administration do not become the new normal. Have we hit the bottom yet?
Collector notes: Edition of 450; saved release record states an edition size of 450. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under Civil rights and justice for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2018
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print / Letterpress; catalog dimensions 10 x 13 inches.
- Edition details
- Edition of 450; saved release record states an edition size of 450.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering 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: Fairey's practice combines propaganda-style imagery, political and countercultural themes, and a recurring OBEY vocabulary. Subject-specific intent is not assumed here unless the release record states it. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2018 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant.
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.