Shepard Fairey "Tear Flame" Print

Shepard Fairey
Tear Flame, 2024
Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper
18 x 24 in
Edition of 550

Hand Signed & Numbered by the artist. Accompanied by Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart.

FROM SHEPARD FAIREY
This "Tear Flame" print is fairly self-explanatory, but I'll share my thoughts. Our planet Earth is often called "Mother Earth" for reasons that seem obvious to me. Mothers are often the primary caregivers for children, and their beautiful love and nurturing are essential for a good life. This is not an endorsement of patriarchy but an acknowledgment of the disproportionate expectations for mothers. Props to all the dads who put in a ton of co-parenting work, but this print is more about the "Mother Earth" metaphor. When I was a kid, I was rebellious and defiant (and still am), and it didn't really phase me when my parents yelled at me. However, when something I did brought my mom to tears, I felt real guilt. I knew my mom cared deeply and was wounded if she cried. We are wounding our collective Mother Earth, and the tears are obvious. This is a collective problem, even though some people and regions are more vulnerable than others in the short term. Eventually, it will compromise life for us all. To paraphrase Dr. Dre, "When you dis your mother, you dis yourself"!
– Shepard