Shepard Fairey (OBEY) - "AR-15 Lily" (2016)

Author: Shepard Fairey (1970)
Title: AR-15 Lily (2016)
Size: 91,5 x 61.5 cm.)
Fine art offset Lithograph, on thick high-quality cream Speckletone paper.
Hand signed by Shepard Fairey.
New to frame. Displays a vivid and sharp image.
Copyright: Shepard Fairey, Printed in USA.
Shipping in a rigid tube via certified express mail.
It is possible to collect more than one object, from the same auction, in the same shipment.

Shepard Fairey, known worldwide as OBEY, is one of the most influential urban artists of our time, and the creator of the iconic “HOPE” image of Barack Obama.

AR-15 Lily is an offset lithograph in which Shepard Fairey juxtaposes the delicate image of a lily with the silhouette of an AR-15 rifle. The work contrasts beauty and violence, encouraging reflection on the normalization of firearms in American society and on themes of power, control, and social responsibility.

Fairey created this piece as a symbolic response to the rise in mass shootings in the United States. The lily—traditionally associated with purity and mourning—acts as a visual memorial, while the AR-15, a weapon frequently involved in such tragedies, is rendered in a decorative, almost ornamental style. This deliberate irony highlights how violence can become aesthetically normalized within contemporary culture.

Shepard Fairey belongs to the same generation of artists as Alessio B., Arsham, Bambi, Banksy, Ben Eine, Blek the Rat, C215, D*Face, Dran, Eelus, Faile, Fin Dac, Gaia, Herakut, Howishisnombre, Imbue, Invader, JR, JonOne, Kaws, Logan Hicks, Martin Whatson, Mr. Brainwash, Nick Walker, Pure Evil, Seth, Speedy Graphito, Swoon, Tabby, and Trust.Icon.