Artwork Description
Protect the Sacred Limited Edition Graffiti Artwork Offset Lithograph Print on Cream Speckle Tone Paper by street artist Shepard Fairey.
2015 Signed & Numbered 24x36 Edition of 200- Protect the Sacred, 2015 Offset lithograph in colors on thick speckled cream paper 36 x 24 inches (91.4 x 61 cm) (sheet) Ed. 200 Signed, numbered, and dated in pencil along lower edge Published by Obey Giant, Los Angeles
Protect the Sacred Offset Lithograph by Shepard Fairey
Protect the Sacred by Shepard Fairey is a landmark piece of Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork that delivers both a powerful visual experience and an urgent social message. Released in 2015 as a signed and numbered limited edition of 200, this offset lithograph is printed on thick cream Speckletone paper and measures 24x36 inches. Fairey, one of the most influential voices in contemporary street art, uses this work to amplify Indigenous voices and underscore the importance of honoring land, culture, and environmental sanctity.
Symbolism and Visual Composition
The composition features a young Indigenous figure standing bare-backed at the edge of a sacred body of water, flanked by a trio of wild horses. The central figure stares into the distance, symbolizing spiritual reflection, generational strength, and resistance. A bold red sun radiates behind a jagged mountain range, creating a powerful sense of harmony and tension. The sun’s rays stretch out like a mandala, suggesting divine illumination and cyclical renewal. The use of high-contrast red, yellow, and black evokes both urgency and reverence—colors often tied to warning as well as heritage. Every element in the composition has a voice. The water, rendered in rippling blocks of red and yellow, suggests instability and reflection. The horses symbolize freedom, natural power, and cultural continuity. Shepard Fairey roots this work in deep respect for Indigenous traditions and cosmologies, which hold land and nature not as resources but as sacred relations.
Offset Printing as Political Tool
While Shepard Fairey is globally known for his screenprint and stencil work, the choice of offset lithograph printing for Protect the Sacred is intentional. Offset printing allows for broader distribution and reproduction fidelity, aligning with Fairey’s ethos of accessible political art. The print maintains his hallmark sharp linework, layering techniques, and propaganda-inspired layout, but presents them with the finesse of a high-resolution poster. This makes the work not just a collector’s object but a tool of advocacy—designed for walls, protests, and public dialogue.
Activist Roots and Cultural Solidarity
This artwork was created in support of Honor the Treaties, an organization that uses art to amplify the voices of Indigenous communities fighting for environmental justice. The print foregrounds the relationship between sacred land and Indigenous sovereignty—a central concern for Native activists and water protectors across North America. Fairey’s involvement in this movement is not performative; he lends his visual language, platform, and printing resources to amplify those historically silenced. Protect the Sacred stands as a prime example of how Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork can transcend aesthetic to become cultural weaponry. Shepard Fairey’s offset lithograph not only reminds the viewer of past injustices but demands present accountability. It is a call to remember, a call to protect, and a call to listen.
