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Shepard Fairey
They Live We Sleep (Cream & Black Set) (Matching Numbers, Skull, Letterpress)

2025

$744.44
$1,05029% Off
£561.01
£791.2829% Off
€655.47
€924.5129% Off
CA$1,056.42
CA$1,490.0329% Off
A$1,059.48
A$1,494.3529% Off
CHF 614.64
CHF 866.9329% Off
MX$12,934.86
MX$18,244.0629% Off
NOK 7,119.31
NOK 10,041.4829% Off
SEK 7,286.14
SEK 10,276.7829% Off
DKK 4,900.25
DKK 6,911.5929% Off

About the Item

Shepard Fairey They Live We Sleep (Cream & Black Set) Letterpress on Cream Cotton Paper and Classic Crest Epic Black 165# Paper with Hand-Deckled Edges Year: 2025 Size: 13 x 10 inches (33.02 × 25.4 cm) (each) Edition: 200 (matching numbers) Signed, dated and numbered by hand Printer's chop in lower left corner COA provided *Edition number may vary from the image shown. hey Live We Sleep is a letterpress print by Shepard Fairey that draws on a convergence of cultural, cinematic, and political influences. Fairey’s long-standing fascination with skull imagery originates in the skateboard and punk rock iconography of the 1980s, particularly the Bones Ripper graphic by Vernon Courtlandt Johnson for Powell Peralta, as well as skull illustrations by Lance Mountain and Ric Clayton for Suicidal Tendencies. These visual languages formed an early foundation for Fairey’s graphic sensibility. Skulls also featured prominently in the alien ghouls of John Carpenter’s film They Live, a work that profoundly influenced Fairey and directly informed his adoption of the word OBEY in his art practice. In the film, graffiti reading “They Live We Sleep” encapsulates its central premise: that systems of power persist through manipulation and public complacency. Fairey adopts this phrase as both title and warning. In this letterpress composition, Fairey synthesizes these influences while introducing a contemporary focal point: an oil derrick embedded in the skull’s forehead. This element serves as a pointed critique of fossil fuel dependency, climate denial, and environmental exploitation. For the artist, the image underscores what he views as one of the most urgent threats to human and planetary health, urging viewers to remain conscious, engaged, and unwilling to “sleep” in the face of environmental peril. They Live We Sleep, skull iconography, letterpress print, debossed printmaking, oil derrick symbolism, climate change commentary, environmental protest art, punk and skateboard influence, 1980s graphic culture, subversive imagery, political letterpress, cinematic reference art, fossil fuel critique, visual activism, consciousness and power Shepard Fairey, Obey Giant, contemporary street art, political activism, propaganda aesthetics, social commentary, graphic iconography, protest art, pop culture critique, modern printmaking
  • Creator:
    Shepard Fairey (1970, American)
  • Creation Year:
    2025
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13 in (33.02 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Kansas City, MO
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU608317456952

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