Shepard Fairey
Rose Shackle, 2019
Silkscreen and Mixed Media Collage on Paper, HPM (6/19)
30 x 40 49/50 inches
76.2 x 104.1 cms
76.2 x 104.1 cms
Further images
The rose is invoked as a resilient species, representing an organic sense of beauty and natural strength. Enlarged and consuming the full expanse of the print, the rose radiates energy...
The rose is invoked as a resilient species, representing an organic sense of beauty and natural strength.
Enlarged and consuming the full expanse of the print, the rose radiates energy from within and stands upright despite the shackle and chain that binds its stem. The artist humanizes the message of rising above oppressive circumstances by including an oversized drop of blood that hangs but does not yet fall, from the protruding thorn. Acting as a metaphor for an individual or society-at-large, who has endured and preserved in the face of adversity, Fairey positions the rose as a surrogate rendering of the activist spirit that guides his artistic career.