Artwork Description
Barb Wire Dove Collage Silkscreen Print by Shepard Fairey- OBEY Hand-Pulled on Speckletone Fine Art Paper Limited Edition Pop Street Art Artwork.
2023 Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 450 Artwork Size 18x24 Silkscreen Print
Barb Wire Dove Collage Silkscreen Print by Shepard Fairey
The Barb Wire Dove Collage is a 2023 hand-pulled silkscreen print by Shepard Fairey (OBEY), produced as a signed and numbered limited edition of 450. Printed at 18 x 24 inches on Speckletone fine art paper, the work exemplifies Fairey’s mature collage-driven style, where iconic symbols are reassembled into layered political statements. The dove, a recurring motif throughout Fairey’s career, is rendered in bold cream tones against a black circular field, immediately drawing the eye while anchoring the composition with visual clarity and symbolic weight.
Symbolism, Pattern, and Political Tension
At the center of the image, the dove clutches a strand of barbed wire rather than an olive branch, transforming a universal symbol of peace into one marked by restriction, conflict, and unresolved struggle. Surrounding it, Fairey builds a dense patchwork of patterns inspired by global decorative traditions, currency engravings, and protest-era graphic textures. The fractured red, gold, teal, and blue background feels both ornamental and confrontational, suggesting cultural richness colliding with violence and control. This tension between beauty and brutality is intentional, reinforcing Fairey’s long-standing critique of power structures that commodify peace while perpetuating conflict. The distressed overlays and visible “collage” seams give the work a street-poster immediacy, as if it were torn from walls layered with history and dissent.
Significance Within Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork
Within Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, Barb Wire Dove Collage stands as a distilled example of Shepard Fairey’s activist ethos. It merges clean graphic iconography with complex political messaging, making the piece accessible at a glance yet rewarding deeper reading. The relatively large edition size reflects Fairey’s belief in democratic distribution of ideas rather than exclusivity, while the hand-pulled silkscreen process preserves the tactile authenticity valued by collectors. For those collecting OBEY works, this print sits comfortably alongside Fairey’s most recognizable peace and protest imagery, offering a visually striking reminder that peace is not passive, but contested, fragile, and worth defending.
