Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “American Depress (Card Edition)”
Summary
A screen-printed mock-up of a teal American Express card retitled "AMERICAN DEPRESS," with D*Face's winged-eyed, red-nosed clown skull replacing the centurion portrait, the embossed line "SIGN YOUR LIFE AWAY" in place of a card number, "YOUR NAME HERE" where the cardholder name belongs, and a "99" expiry. It is one of D*Face's most direct consumer-credit satires, turning a status object into a memento mori for debt-driven culture.
Why It Matters
The print collapses D*Face's two pet targets — branding and mortality — into a single readable joke: the credit card, the most familiar emblem of aspirational consumerism, is rebranded as an instrument of depression and a contract to "sign your life away." By keeping the AmEx layout, typeface and color almost intact and swapping only the portrait and copy, D*Face uses the recognition of the original brand as the delivery system for the critique — the same appropriation logic that runs through his comic-romance and celebrity defacements. The winged-eye clown skull, his recurring stand-in for vanity and decay, ties the piece to his broader visual language while making it function as standalone, instantly legible street pop.
Collector Perspective
This is a genuinely small run — an edition of 6 — which places it well outside D*Face's normal poster-sized editions of 75 to 300. At that count it behaves more like a studio-edition oddity than a mainstream print, so supply on the secondary market is sporadic and pricing is driven by who happens to be selling rather than by an established comp set. The brand-parody subject and the clown-skull motif are core, desirable D*Face imagery, which helps demand, but the very low edition size cuts both ways: scarcity supports value, yet thin trading makes it hard to pin a number and slow to liquidate. Best viewed as a collector-grade piece for someone who wants the appropriation theme specifically, not a liquid trading position.
Historical Context
Made in 2008, during D*Face's early street era and the run-up to his 2009 "Death & Glory" survey, the print lands squarely on the global financial crisis — the moment consumer credit and "depress" stopped being wordplay and became headlines. It draws directly on the American Express card's instantly recognizable design (centurion portrait, embossed account line, expiry, "MEMBER SINCE" conventions), repurposing that corporate visual grammar in the same vein as other 2000s street-art brand hijacks. The work sits comfortably alongside his contemporaneous defacements of advertising and celebrity imagery, all aimed at the machinery of consumer desire.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
It reproduces the layout of a teal American Express card but rebrands it 'AMERICAN DEPRESS.' D*Face's winged-eye, red-nosed clown skull replaces the centurion portrait, the embossed line reads 'SIGN YOUR LIFE AWAY' instead of a card number, 'YOUR NAME HERE' sits where the cardholder name goes, and the expiry shows '99.'
What is the edition size?
The edition is just 6, making this a very small run by D*Face standards, where prints are more commonly issued in editions of 75 to several hundred.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print (silkscreen).
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, though signature and numbering should be confirmed against the specific example and its documentation before purchase.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for defacing comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity imagery. His signature motifs include the winged-eyed 'D*Dog' and grinning skulls, and he co-founded London's 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.