Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Space Cadet”
Summary
Space Cadet depicts a 1960s comic-strip heroine recast as a doomed astronaut: a wide-eyed, anxious woman in an orange-and-white spacesuit and bubble helmet, a NASA "meatball" badge on her chest, set against a deep purple star-field with floating planets and crackling lightning. It is a quintessential D*Face mash-up of vintage romance-comic damsel and pop-culture spectacle, his recurring trope of the beautiful, terrified woman pushed into a sci-fi register.
Why It Matters
The print distills D*Face's core strategy: appropriating the seductive, mass-produced visual language of mid-century American comics and advertising, then injecting unease into it. The heroine's manicured glamour collides with genuine fear, and the official NASA insignia turns aspirational space-age optimism into something fragile and ironic. It sits squarely in his lineage of "defaced" Americana running back to his Pulp/romance-comic women, updated here with the celebrity-and-fame gloss of the astronaut as cultural icon.
Collector Perspective
At an edition of 75, this is a tightly limited release that favors the comic-strip-woman imagery many D*Face buyers actively chase, generally more sought-after than his pure skull or D*Dog motifs. The bold flat color, instantly readable subject and recognizable NASA badge give it broad wall appeal, which helps secondary-market interest. As a 2025 release it is still establishing its track record, so pricing is closer to issue level than his established 2000s-2010s editions; a clean, signed and numbered example is the configuration collectors will want.
Historical Context
The imagery draws on 1960s romance and adventure comic books and the era's space-race iconography, filtered through D*Face's pop-appropriation lens. Produced in 2025 in the Contemporary period, it continues the visual DNA he has worked since the 2000s as a leading figure in British street and urban pop art, the StolenSpace co-founder who built a vocabulary out of recycling consumer and comic imagery to comment on fame and aspiration.
FAQ
What does Space Cadet depict?
A comic-book-style female astronaut with an anxious expression, wearing an orange-and-white spacesuit and bubble helmet with a NASA insignia, against a purple star-filled space background with planets and lightning.
How large is the edition?
The edition is limited to 75.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, made in 2025.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited-edition prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist; buyers should confirm the specifics for an individual copy.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (born 1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for defacing comic-book, advertising and celebrity imagery, motifs like the winged-eyed D*Dog 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.