Artwork Description
Union Jacked HPM Hand-Embellished Limited Edition 17-Color Silkscreen Print & Gold Leaf on 410gsm Somerset Paper by Artist Saber Contemporary Pop Artwork.
2014 Signed & Numbered HPM Hand Embellished Limited Edition of 75 Artwork Size 35.5x17.75 23-carat Gold Leaf on Somerset paper 17-3/4 x 35-1/2 inches (45.1 x 90.2 cm) (sheet) Ed. 19/75 Signed and numbered along lower edge Published by Lazarides Gallery, London.
Saber Union Jacked HPM Hand-Embellished Silkscreen Print
Union Jacked is a 2014 hand-embellished multiple by Saber, whose real name is Ryan Weston Shook, born in the United States. Recognized as a pivotal figure in contemporary graffiti, Saber translates his large-scale urban mark-making into a refined studio format with this 17-color silkscreen print enhanced by hand detailing and 23-carat gold leaf. Published by Lazarides Gallery in London, the work measures approximately 35.5 x 17.75 inches on 410gsm Somerset paper and was released in a signed and numbered edition of 75. The composition layers an abstracted Union Jack beneath aggressive black gestural strokes, red splashes, and controlled linear accents, forming a charged example of Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork rooted in both national symbolism and personal expression.
National Iconography Reframed Through Graffiti Language
Saber is widely known for monumental graffiti interventions, including historically documented large-scale freeway pieces in Los Angeles that helped elevate graffiti into institutional conversations. In Union Jacked, he appropriates the British flag as a structural backdrop, fragmenting it through diagonal overlays, drips, and intersecting arcs. The result is not a clean patriotic emblem but a disrupted field of tension. Thick black strokes slice across the red and white geometry, while sharp blue and red lines introduce velocity and confrontation. A central red burst suggests impact, anchoring the layered chaos. This method reflects the core strategies of Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, where established symbols are reworked through urban visual language to question power, identity, and control of public imagery.
Hand Embellishment, Gold Leaf, and Material Presence
As a hand-embellished print, each example within the edition carries subtle variations, reinforcing the artist’s physical involvement beyond the standard silkscreen process. The inclusion of 23-carat gold leaf introduces a material counterpoint to the raw spray-inspired gestures. Gold, historically associated with authority and value, contrasts with the immediacy of drips and splatters. Printed on heavyweight Somerset paper, the surface supports both the precision of the 17-color screen process and the textured additions of the HPM treatment. Within Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, Union Jacked stands as a studio translation of graffiti’s scale and intensity, combining fine art craftsmanship with the confrontational energy that defines Saber’s practice.
