New Shepard Fairey Release: "Radical Cat," OBEY's Rebel Cat

A new artwork by Shepard Fairey (OBEY) joins Galerie 125's selection: "Radical Cat," a creation as amusing as it is offbeat, showing a different facet of the American artist's work.

With its black cat sporting a beret, determined gaze, and a composition that echoes the graphic codes of militant propaganda, "Radical Cat" doesn't go unnoticed. Behind the image's humor, one immediately recognizes Shepard Fairey's visual universe.

Radical Cat, a Shepard Fairey creation born in 2014

The story of "Radical Cat" dates back to 2014. Shepard Fairey created this image for the Cat Art Show held in Los Angeles. Due to the positive reception of his work, the artist produced a first small edition of 100 serigraphs in the 25 x 20 cm format, offered during the exhibition. A portion of the proceeds was intended to help street cats at the time.

Over a decade after its creation, Radical Cat makes its return in 2026 in a new edition signed by Shepard Fairey.

A Black Cat Transformed into a Militant Icon

Shepard Fairey enjoys subverting popular symbols and images. With Radical Cat, he applies this recipe to a rather unexpected subject: a black cat.

With a beret on its head, a frontal posture, and a particularly serious gaze, the animal takes on the appearance of a true revolutionary figure. The juxtaposition immediately works and adds a lot of humor to the artwork.

But behind this wink, one finds the ingredients that have built Shepard Fairey's reputation: a highly graphic image, a deliberately limited palette, strong contrasts, and an aesthetic inspired by political and militant posters.

An Atypical Work in the OBEY Universe

While Shepard Fairey is mainly known for his portraits, his socially and politically engaged messages, and his creations around political, social, or environmental themes, Radical Cat holds a more singular place in his body of work.

The artist retains his usual graphic language but uses it here with more lightness and self-deprecation. It is precisely this blend of humor and militant aesthetics that makes the image so easily recognizable and endearing.

Yet, Radical Cat remains undeniably a work by Shepard Fairey: even without reading the artist's name, OBEY's visual codes are immediately perceptible.

Radical Cat Returns in a New 2026 Edition

This new edition allows one to rediscover one of Shepard Fairey's most quirky images in a larger format than the first serigraph created in 2014.

With dimensions of approximately 50 × 40 cm, the artwork offers a strong presence when framed, while still maintaining a format easy to integrate into any interior.

This new version is signed by Shepard Fairey, making Radical Cat a particularly delightful novelty for both fans of the artist and those discovering his universe.

Shepard Fairey, OBEY, and the Art of Subversion

Since the creation of the OBEY GIANT campaign, Shepard Fairey has established one of the most recognizable graphic identities in contemporary Street Art.

His work largely relies on reinterpreting the codes of advertising, propaganda, and political posters. Portraits, slogans, and symbols are subverted to create images capable of immediately catching the eye before prompting the viewer to question their meaning.

With Radical Cat, Shepard Fairey demonstrates that this mechanism can also work with humor. The result is an artwork accessible at first glance but perfectly coherent with his overall body of work.

The Cat, a Beloved Figure of Contemporary Artists

Shepard Fairey is certainly not the only contemporary artist to have made the cat a subject of creation. Mysterious, independent, familiar, and sometimes mischievous, the animal lends itself particularly well to the subversions and graphic universes of Street Art.

In France, M.CHAT, also known as Thoma Vuille, has even made it his true signature. His famous yellow cat with a huge smile has been appearing on the walls of many cities since the early 2000s, from Paris to Orléans, before joining the canvases, drawings, and screen prints of the artist. Where Shepard Fairey transforms his black cat into an activist with "Radical Cat," M.CHAT uses his feline as a joyful, free, and immediately recognizable character.

Other artists have also integrated the cat into their universes, but each in their own way. This is perhaps what makes this subject so interesting: behind an animal known to all, there can be hidden messages and intentions that are completely different.

With "Radical Cat," Shepard Fairey brings his own interpretation of the feline. A serious and rebellious black cat, very different from M.CHAT's smile, but just as immediately identifiable.

Feline art enthusiasts can also discover at Galerie 125 several works by M.CHAT, alongside this new edition of "Radical Cat" by Shepard Fairey.