Shepard Fairey, “Giant Star OBEY,” 1996. Screenprint on Paper.24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Street artist and activist Shepard Fairey is a prolific creator. This has been possible, in part, thanks to printmaking. Using screenprinting and stenciling, Fairey has permeated the streets and culture at large with his iconic OBEY Giant and imagery that deeply considers issues of power, control, and propaganda. Now, an expansive exhibition at Beyond the Streets in Los Angeles is showcasing his devotion to printmaking and how the artistic process is in conversation with his visual language. Titled Shepard Fairey: Out of Print, the show brings together more than 400 original screenprints alongside Fairey’s mixed-media pieces that combine paper, ink, and stencils.
Screenprinting (and printmaking in general) allows for mass communication. When you can easily create multiples of the same design, you spread your message beyond your studio. “I’m a product of the era of mass production, and the mass culture printing has created,” explains Fairey. “I can’t imagine my art practice without the influence of, and the use of, printing.”
The printing press changed the world, making it possible to reproduce newspapers and books—something revolutionary when Johannes Gutenberg refined the invention in the 15th century. Items previously out of reach for the everyday person were made accessible. This fact has certainly affected Fairey.
“Some of my biggest art influences were not paintings but printed things like posters, album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t‑shirt designs,” he shares. “Printing is a cornerstone of my art practice and philosophy. The printing press began the democratization of art, and I have used printed posters to spread my artwork and messages in public spaces as well as keep my art affordable by printing multiples.”
Out of Print displays three and a half decades of Fairey’s printed work. Included are “guerrilla placements” and posters pulled by hand, as well as more polished studio editions. Taken together, the oeuvre highlights how effectively Fairey uses symbolism and language to provoke dialogue and create lasting cultural memories.
The show is also a love letter to print. “Some people say digital media has ended print, but the provocative, tactile experience of a print on a wall or in the wild—can’t be replaced,” Fairey says. “Printing still matters!”
Shepard Fairey: Out of Print will be on view from November 15, 2025, through January 11, 2026, at Beyond the Streets.
An expansive exhibition at Beyond the Streets in Los Angeles showcases Shepard Fairey’s devotion to printmaking and how the artistic process is in conversation with his visual language.
Shepard Fairey, “Che,” 1997. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “Fist,” 2000. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “Chinese Building,” 2000. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “Guns and Roses,” 2006. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Titled Shepard Fairey: Out of Print, the show brings together more than 400 original screenprints alongside Fairey’s mixed-media pieces that combine paper, ink, and stencils.
Shepard Fairey, “Afrocentric (Red),” 2007. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “War For Sale (Red),” 2007. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “High Time for Peace,” 2005. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “Visual Disobedience,” 2004. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “Third Eye Open,” 2024. Letterpress on Cream Cotton Paper with Hand-Deckled Edges. 20 1/2 x 15 1/4 in. (52.1 x 38.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “Panther Power,” 2007. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
“Some people say digital media has ended print, but the provocative, tactile experience of a print on a wall or in the wild—can’t be replaced,” Fairey says. “Printing still matters!”
Shepard Fairey, “Mr. Spray,” 2004. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “Nubian Sign,” 2000. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Shepard Fairey, “Mujer Fatale,” 2007. Screenprint on Paper. 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm)
Exhibition Information:
Shepard Fairey
Shepard Fairey: Out of Print
November 15, 2025–January 11, 2026
Beyond the Streets
434 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036, U.S.A
Shepard Fairey: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Beyond the Streets.
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