Shepard Fairey exhibition at Turner Carroll Gallery in Santa Fe

From July 17 to August 10, 2026, Turner Carroll Gallery in Santa Fe, presents the artwork of Shepard Fairey (b. 1970) in his first solo exhibition in New Mexico, “Cultivate Justice.” Widely known for his brand OBEY Giant and his poster HOPE for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign, Fairey is one of the most influential street artists alive. His work is deeply political, and he frequently confronts issues of human rights, equality, and authority while maintaining his signature style of layered collage-like color, propaganda-inspired forms, pop art, portraiture, and bright colors.

The exhibition at Turner Carroll Gallery will feature prints on paper and multimedia pieces, as well as highly collectible original works debuting in the United States after being on view at numerous exhibitions at European museums and galleries, including Fotografiska in Berlin and the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art in Munich. In addition to the exhibition at the gallery at 725 Canyon Road, Turner Carroll has facilitated the creation of a new mural by Fairey at the Santa Fe Art Institute.

“Fairey is one of the artists who defines the art history of the 21st century. He has created images that encapsulate the hopes and dreams of people internationally, and his work inspires us to imagine a better world,” said Tonya Turner Carroll, co-owner of Turner Carroll. “His HOPE poster created when Obama ran for president made the entire nation tingle with the possibility that his election could happen. His posters for the Women’s March in 2017 featuring diverse subjects, gave all those who marched a sense of solidarity to denounce the election of a president who had committed sexual assault. He reminds us that we are part of a big human family, and that we need to take care of each other.”

Portraits of women are among the most recognizable and recurring elements in Fairey’s oeuvre, as will be seen in the Santa Fe exhibition. Throughout his career, Fairey has created numerous depictions of women, often presenting them as symbols of strength, resilience, activism, cultural identity, and social change. While he is also known for political imagery, propaganda-inspired graphics, and portraits of public figures, female subjects occupy a significant portion of his body of work. Some notable examples include: the We the People (2017) series of portraits representing three marginalized communities – Muslim Americans, Latin Americans, and African Americans, created in response to political and social tensions in the United States; Peace Goddess (2006), one of several recurring female archetypes in his work; and Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (2016), which features Marianne, the female personification of the French Republic.

Art historians and critics have noted that Fairey often uses female figures as allegorical or symbolic subjects and are frequently depicted in a stylized manner influenced by political posters, Art Deco design, Soviet Constructivism, and advertising imagery. The portraits typically emphasize dignity, determination, and empowerment. Other well-known works include portraits of trailblazing women such as Debbie Harry, Angela Davis, and Frida Kahlo.

“The genders are not monolithic in their characteristics, of course, but my general experience is that women are more collaborative and tend to promote peace, community, and cooperation much more than men do,” said Fairey, when asked about the prominence of female images in his work. “I hope that portraying women as heroic helps expand people’s ideas about gender roles and makes them more open to female leadership and the benefits of the female perspective in shaping society.”

A defining achievement of Fairey’s career has been the creation of over 140 public murals in cities around the globe—such as Los Angeles, Paris, London, Lisbon, Johannesburg, Sydney, Singapore, Milwaukee, and Detroit—a practice that places large-scale contemporary art outside museums and galleries, democratizing access by allowing people to view art who might not otherwise visit art institutions to do so. Many murals are created specifically for a city or neighborhood, with themes relevant to those communities incorporated into the work, thereby contributing to those communities’ visual identities. In Santa Fe, Fairey painted Make Art Not War on the campus of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, and in 2021, in Albuquerque, he collaborated with Jaque Fragua (Jemez Pueblo) on two murals addressing medical patients’ rights.

Turner Carroll Gallery has continually supported and represented artists who make their works available in free, outdoor public settings, as Fairey has done. These creations take shape not only in mural form but also in monumental scale, wrapped structures, and immersive installations, all aimed to ignite hope and curiosity in the mainstream population, serving as a catalyst for empathy, innovation, and cultural evolution. These artists include Christo and Jeanne Claude, FAILE, Nadya Tolokonnikova, and Swoon.

Some recent notable projects of Fairey’s include contributions to “The Art of Saving Democracy, An Action Kit for Making Change” developed by the People for the American Way, and the creation of the cover poster for “Steal this Story, Please!,” a movie about the life and work of Amy Goodman, founder of Democracy Now!, which opened in theaters in April 2026. He also created a mural called Dear Iran, located at the Fame Yard in the Fairfax District of L.A., which is a part of the Dear Iran project, depicting a flower growing out of barbed wire to show solidarity with human rights, no matter where you live.

The influence of Fairey’s work is far-reaching and forever imprinted on our times. On February 22, 2008, after Fairey’s HOPE poster was adopted by the Obama Campaign, President Barack Obama wrote to Fairey, “I would like to thank you for using your talent in support of my campaign. The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe they can change the status quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign. I am privileged to be a part of your artwork and proud to have your support. I wish you continued success and creativity.”