Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Union Jacked”
Summary
Union Jacked reconstructs the British flag as an act of vandalism: the red diagonals and central cross of the Union Jack run and drip like fresh wet paint, while a thick, glossy ribbon of black-and-gold brushwork smears across the centre, partly obscuring the national symbol. The blue fields are rendered in Ben-Day halftone dots and digital pixel blocks rather than solid colour, a characteristic D*Face move that fuses comic-book pop printing with a defaced, anti-establishment gesture.
Why It Matters
The work distills D*Face's central preoccupation — defacing emblems of power, branding and national identity — onto one of the most loaded symbols in British visual culture. By letting the flag bleed and smearing a tar-and-gold gestural stroke through it, he turns patriotic iconography into something corroded and unstable, a pointed comment on national pride, politics and decay. Released in 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum, the dripping, partly cancelled Union Jack reads as a piece very much in conversation with a moment of fractured British self-image.
Collector Perspective
At an edition of 47, Union Jacked is one of D*Face's tighter print runs, which limits supply relative to his larger 150–300 editions. The Union Jack subject has broad appeal and instant recognisability, and the overtly political reading gives it a hook beyond the core D*Dog/skull motif collectors. It is not among his most famous images, so it trades less frequently than signature works, but the small edition and clean graphic punch support steady demand. Condition matters: the large flat colour fields and gloss blacks show handling marks and scuffs readily, so well-kept, unframed-with-margins examples command a premium.
Historical Context
The imagery draws on two of D*Face's recurring strategies: appropriating mass iconography (here the Union Jack) and rendering it in the language of comic-book and advertising print — halftone dots, hard pixel grids and dripping paint. Made in 2016 during his Established Era, the piece sits alongside his broader body of work satirising power and consumer culture, and its corroded, bleeding flag resonates with the political turbulence of mid-2010s Britain. D*Face (Dean Stockton, b.1978, London) emerged from the same UK street-art scene that produced Banksy and co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in East London.
FAQ
What does Union Jacked depict?
It shows the British Union Jack reconstructed as a defaced, dripping image: the red cross and diagonals run like wet paint, the blue fields are rendered in halftone dots and pixel blocks, and a thick glossy black-and-gold brushstroke smears across the centre, partly obscuring the flag.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 47, making it one of D*Face's smaller, scarcer print runs.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print, produced in 2016.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited-edition prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, though signature and numbering on any individual example should be confirmed against the actual piece and its documentation.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is Dean Stockton (b.1978, London), a British street and pop artist known for defacing comic-romance, advertising and celebrity imagery with motifs like the winged-eyed D*Dog and grinning skulls. He co-founded the StolenSpace gallery.
Related Works
About the Artist
D*Face is the working name of Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a leading figure in British street art. He came up pasting stickers and posters across London in the early 2000s, then built a pop-fuelled visual language that defaces comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity iconography. Recurring motifs include his winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. His practice spans screenprints, hand-painted multiples, sculpture and large-scale murals worldwide, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London. His work satirises consumerism, power and our collective obsession with fame.
Collecting D*Face at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic D*Face prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of D*Face prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new D*Face prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across D*Face and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.