Beyond the Streets, the internationally acclaimed cultural and educational movement focused on graffiti and street art, is presenting a major retrospective exhibition titled "Shepard Fairey: Out of Print." The landmark show explores the artist's lifelong relationship with printmaking and showcases over 400 original screen prints alongside new and remixed works that combine screen printing and stenciling techniques.

Shepard Fairey's protest posters have become cultural touchstones over the past three decades, challenging authority and consumerism through a bold graphic style that masterfully blends pop art aesthetics with the visual language of propaganda and Soviet-era constructivism. The exhibition surveys Fairey's unwavering commitment to the power of images, multiples, and mass communication as tools for social commentary.

"Out of Print" traces Fairey's visual evolution from his early guerrilla street interventions to his creation of globally recognized cultural icons. The presentation contrasts the raw energy of his initial hand-pulled posters and wall installations with the refined graphic precision of his later studio editions. The show demonstrates how Fairey has mastered the language of advertising and propaganda, recoding those strategies to create visually arresting and intellectually provocative works.

The exhibition emphasizes how reproducible images circulated on walls, in windows, and through clothing function as both civic dialogue and cultural memory. In addition to historic and rare editions, the show debuts a focused collection of hybrid works where layered stencils, paper, and ink collide, expanding Fairey's print vocabulary while maintaining the immediacy of street art. Archival materials, process ephemera, and contextual graphics provide behind-the-scenes insights into the artist's methods and influences.

Fairey spoke extensively about his artistic influences, particularly cinema's impact on his work. "Film has always been hugely influential for me because it is so immersive and can transport the viewer to another mind-opening world," he explained. "A lot of my understanding of the power of archetypes and symbols comes from films like Star Wars, Dr. Strangelove, V for Vendetta, or Full Metal Jacket. I named an art show of mine The Duality of Humanity, paraphrasing some dialogue from Full Metal Jacket, but inspired by the juxtaposition of a peace sign on the character Joker's flak jacket."

The artist continued discussing how film dialogue influences his text-based artwork: "Great dialogue from films like Dazed and Confused or Fargo always reminds me to use text in my art in a witty, provocative, and instantly memorable way. Of course, John Carpenter's They Live inspired me to use the word 'Obey' in my art. They Live contains graffiti and street art components along with advertising images that symbolize the insidious forces of oppression and reactions against those forces."

Fairey also noted that television has become an important source of inspiration: "Film is an incredibly potent and persuasive medium, so I regularly look to images, storytelling, and powerful language from film for inspiration in my art. Television has become very good, so I find inspiring ideas in shows like Black Mirror and The Newsroom."

Discussing his relationship with printmaking, Fairey emphasized its central role in his artistic practice: "I'm a product of the era of mass production, and the mass culture printing has created. I can't imagine my art practice without the influence of, and the use of, printing. Some of my biggest art influences were not paintings but printed things like posters, album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t-shirt designs."

The artist explained the philosophical importance of printing to his work: "Printing is a cornerstone of my art practice and philosophy. The printing press began the democratization of art, and I have used printed posters to spread my artwork and messages in public spaces as well as keep my art affordable by printing multiples."

Fairey's influential career began in 1989 with the creation of the simple "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker, which quickly evolved into the globally recognized Obey Giant art campaign. This grassroots movement fundamentally altered public perception of art and the urban landscape, utilizing guerrilla tactics to promote dissent and inquiry about social and political issues.

Spanning nearly 35 years, Fairey's acclaimed body of work is distinguished by high-impact political imagery, most notably the iconic 2008 "Hope" portrait of Barack Obama, which is now permanently housed in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. More recently, in 2017, he collaborated on the powerful "We the People" series, which became a globally recognizable visual cornerstone of the Women's Marches and demonstrated art's capacity to galvanize social movements.

Fairey's continued cultural impact is celebrated through the touring retrospective "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent," which has traveled to major international and U.S. cities since 2019. His life and artistic journey were further documented in the 2017 feature-length Hulu documentary "Obey Giant: The Art and Dissent of Shepard Fairey," providing comprehensive insight into his methods and motivations.

"Shepard Fairey: Out of Print" runs from November 15, 2025, through January 11, 2026, at Beyond the Streets in Los Angeles. The exhibition offers visitors an unprecedented opportunity to experience the full scope of Fairey's printmaking legacy and understand how his work has shaped contemporary political and cultural discourse through the democratic medium of print.