Artwork Description
Chaos Mandala Silkscreen Print by Shepard Fairey- OBEY Hand-Pulled on Cream Speckletone Fine Art Paper Limited Edition Artwork Obey Pop Culture Artist.
2025 Signed by Shepard Fairey- OBEY & Numbered Limited Edition of 550 Artwork Size 18x24 Silkscreen Print
"This Chaos Mandala print merges two seemingly contrasting concepts and aesthetics…chaos and harmony. I have always been fascinated by the cyclical chaos of posters and graffiti accumulating on the streets and then being ripped at by humans and the elements. There is beauty in the layering and in accepting that there are too many variables of push and pull for any of us to control them all. For me, the philosophy to embrace is “enjoy the ride and savor the ephemeral." -Shepard Fairey- OBEY
Chaos Mandala Silkscreen Print by Shepard Fairey
Chaos Mandala by Shepard Fairey is a 2025 signed and numbered limited edition silkscreen print that seamlessly integrates Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork traditions into a contemplative visual dialogue. Measuring 18 by 24 inches and printed on cream speckletone fine art paper, the work was produced in a run of 550. At the center of the composition, Fairey’s mandala design anchors a vortex of pattern, color, and movement. This meticulously hand-pulled silkscreen reflects the artist’s fascination with order, disorder, and their coexistence in urban environments. It draws on motifs often found in Shepard Fairey's extensive body of work, including his emblematic star and iconography associated with the OBEY brand. The result is a striking meditation on impermanence, layering, and visual harmony through chaos.
Visual Symmetry and Controlled Disorder
At first glance, Chaos Mandala reads like a sacred geometry symbol, with symmetrical petals and radial balance flowing outward from a central OBEY star emblem. The crisp, mandala lines are contrasted against an explosively chaotic backdrop filled with distressed stenciling, spray textures, drips, and faded fragments of posters. This tension between fine control and organic erosion embodies the duality Shepard Fairey often explores in his work. The background elements simulate urban decay, recalling the visual noise of city walls plastered with flyers, propaganda, and graffiti. The use of stencil and screen printing techniques connects directly to street art methods, while the choice of color — vivid red, icy blue, and muted cream — allows the artwork to maintain a powerful presence while inviting close inspection of its layered surface.
The Philosophical Dimension of Shepard Fairey’s Practice
Shepard Fairey, born in the United States in 1970, has long used Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork as a platform for socio-political commentary. Chaos Mandala reflects a deeper philosophical current in his work. The piece is not just decorative but reflects an embrace of unpredictability and the fleeting nature of public expression. It acknowledges that beauty arises not only from design but also from entropy. Posters decay. Paint chips. Layers build up and tear away. Fairey captures that life cycle, not by resisting it, but by folding it into his aesthetic. The mandala — traditionally a spiritual symbol of harmony — becomes a container for the unpredictable, elevating the tension between permanence and erosion into a formal and emotional focal point.
Technique, Texture, and Symbolic Integration
The print was produced with meticulous care through a silkscreen process on high-quality cream speckletone paper, a tactile surface chosen for its texture and visual warmth. Every printed layer reinforces the idea of cumulative experience and environmental interaction. Fairey’s OBEY star, placed at the center, reinforces the cultural branding that has defined his public art for decades, while also transforming into a meditative hub for the surrounding chaos. With this work, Fairey continues his commitment to crafting Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork that blurs the lines between the street and the gallery, between rebellious expression and structured symbolism. Chaos Mandala is more than an aesthetic object — it is a conceptual reflection on the beautiful disorder of human mark-making.
