Big Brother Letterpress

Dimensions: 14 x 11 Inches

Medium: Letterpress print on cream, deckled edge 300gsm fine art paper.

Provenance: Signed, embossed, numbered and dated by the artist. Verisart digital blockchain certificate of authenticity transferred to buyer on request.

Edition: Limited Edition of 175 (#19/175)

Year: 2025

Condition: Excellent

ABOUT THE ART

"Big Brother is Watching You” is a reference to George Orwell’s novel 1984, a cautionary tale about a totalitarian state. In 1984, Big Brother is the supreme ruler, and his image is used to instill loyalty and fear in the populace. My image of the menacing face of Big Brother is meant to remind us that the technology society has grown to depend on is being used to monitor, register, and influence our activity. As we consume an endless variety of digital media, citizens should question corporate and state surveillance. Examples such as social media tracking our behavior patterns, the Pegasus spyware scandal, which revealed how governments were hacking journalists, activists, and dissidents, the expansion of AI-powered facial recognition systems used for policing and public monitoring, and TikTok’s data collection practices should all raise questions about privacy and influence. Technology provides the ultimate convenience while simultaneously registering our every move and making us more susceptible to misinformation and manipulation."

- Shepard

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary graphic designer, and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (…OBEY…) sticker campaign, in which he appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. His work became more widely known in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, specifically his Barack Obama "Hope" poster.

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.