Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Face To D*Face”
Summary
"Face To D*Face" (2023) is a die-cut, irregularly shaped offset print built around D*Face's signature winged-eye "D*Dog" head: a heavy black contour rendering of a wide grinning skull-eye crowned with a single feathered wing, set against a collaged ground of graffiti scrawl, faded comic halftone and a tumbling, dust-cloud brawl of comic-strip figures. It distils the artist's core vocabulary — appropriated romance/action-comic panels defaced and warped by his cartoon-death iconography — into a single sculptural cut-out object.
Why It Matters
The piece sits squarely in D*Face's lifelong project of hijacking the visual language of mid-century American comics and advertising and turning it against itself. By layering a bug-eyed, winged skull-creature over a fighting "dust cloud" of comic lovers/brawlers and graffiti tags, it stages the collision of consumer nostalgia and mortality that has defined his work since the early 2000s. The shaped, die-cut format pushes the image off the rectangle and toward object-hood, echoing the sticker-and-paste-up street origins of his practice while functioning as a wall-mounted pop relic.
Collector Perspective
With an edition of just 31, this is one of D*Face's tighter print runs, which places it well below his standard 100–150-copy screen prints in availability. The die-cut shaped format and the presence of the instantly recognisable winged-eye motif both add desirability, since collectors gravitate to the "D*Dog"/winged-skull imagery over his more generic works. As an offset rather than a hand-finished screen print or HPM it carries a more modest production tier, so value rests primarily on the small edition and the strong motif rather than surface technique. Expect limited but steady secondary-market appearances given how few exist.
Historical Context
D*Face (Dean Stockton, b. 1978, London) emerged from the early-2000s London street-art scene and co-founded the StolenSpace gallery; his vocabulary of winged-eyed "D*Dog" creatures, grinning skulls and defaced romance- and action-comic imagery satirises consumerism, celebrity and power. Produced in 2023, this Contemporary-era work recycles the halftone-dot comic panels and brawling cartoon figures of 1950s–60s American pulp, overlaying them with graffiti gesture and his death-haunted cartoon iconography — a continuation of the appropriation strategy that links his output to Pop forebears like Lichtenstein and Warhol while keeping its roots firmly in street paste-up culture.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A large black-outlined winged-eye "D*Dog" skull head — D*Face's signature creature — set over a collaged background of graffiti marks, faded comic halftone and a tumbling cloud of brawling comic-strip figures. The whole image is die-cut into an irregular, shaped silhouette including a protruding feathered wing.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 31, making it one of D*Face's smaller and scarcer print runs.
What is the medium?
It is an offset print, produced in 2023 as a die-cut, shaped (irregular-format) work rather than a standard rectangular sheet.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited-edition prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, though signing/numbering should be confirmed against the specific copy and any accompanying certificate.
Who is the artist?
D*Face is Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a British street and Pop artist known for defacing comic, advertising and celebrity imagery with winged-eyed creatures and grinning skulls, and for co-founding 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.