Shepard Fairey Unveils ‘Third Eye Open Peace’ Mural in Naples, Italy

The Shepard Fairey Third Eye Open Peace mural has been unveiled on the streets of Naples, Italy, emerging as a striking public art counterpart to his forthcoming solo exhibition, Power To the Peaceful. Positioned within the city’s layered urban fabric, the work extends Fairey’s long-standing dialogue between art, activism, and collective consciousness.

A renewed vision within the Shepard Fairey Third Eye Open Peace mural

At the centre of the Shepard Fairey Third Eye Open Peace mural is the artist’s recognisable female portrait, first introduced in his Make Art Not War print during the Iraq War. That earlier moment marked a turning point in Fairey’s practice, grounding his visual language in political urgency and humanitarian reflection.

Here, the image returns with a renewed presence. A luminous third eye radiates from the figure’s forehead, accompanied by an iconic peace sign and the word PACE, Italian for peace, placed above. The composition feels both familiar and newly charged, carrying forward its original message while opening space for deeper introspection.

“I’ve often used the phrase ‘eyes open – mind open.’ ‘Third eye open’ is a similar but slightly weightier idea, because it addresses looking not only outward to observe, but inward as well. If we can connect with our own humanity, we can have empathy for others.” Shepard Fairey

Inner awareness and symbolism in the Shepard Fairey Third Eye Open Peace mural

Within the Shepard Fairey Third Eye Open Peace mural, the third eye operates as more than a visual motif. It becomes a symbolic portal to higher awareness, suggesting that peace begins with an internal shift before it can exist collectively.

Fairey’s interpretation leans into a quiet philosophical proposition. The act of seeing expands beyond observation and moves into reflection, asking viewers to engage with their own values, contradictions, and emotional landscape. Peace, in this sense, is not presented as an abstract political goal. It is framed as a personal responsibility shaped through empathy and self-awareness.

Shepard Fairey Third Eye Open Peace mural in Naples as a public dialogue

By situating the Shepard Fairey Third Eye Open Peace mural in Naples, the artist places this reflection directly into public space, where it becomes part of everyday movement and encounter. The mural invites both local communities and international visitors into an ongoing conversation around identity, coexistence, and shared responsibility.

This approach continues Fairey’s decades-long commitment to using the street as a site of engagement rather than passive viewing. The work does not demand attention loudly, yet it holds a quiet insistence, encouraging those who pass by to pause, look again, and perhaps look inward.

Shepard Fairey, Third Eye Open Peace. Naples, Italy. Image copyright Jonathan Furlong.

The Shepard Fairey Third Eye Open Peace mural was realised with support from Poltrona Frau, La Reggia Designer Outlet, and Montana Cans. Cultural partners Cultura Napoli, Wunderkammern Gallery, and Inward Creativa Urbana played a key role in facilitating the project, alongside Fairey’s production team including Dan Flores, Rob Zagula, and Jonathan Furlong.