Banksy’s Most Iconic Works and What They Really Mean
Girl With Balloon (2002)
The Signifier of Hope and Loss
One of the most iconic pieces from Banksy: a small girl letting go of or pursuing a heart-shaped balloon. This is intentional ambiguity, allowing the different readings of hope lost, or hope gained. The image expresses innocence but also desire, in the end, the fleetingness of hope itself.
The Cultural Cache
It has been produced so many times because it has become iconic as a symbol of hope when there is none. And the later re-contextualisation of Girl With Balloon, into Love is in the Bin cemented its cultural footprint, and its legacy as a commodified object.
Flower Thrower (2003)
Peace Not Violence
The mural depicts a protestor in a mask throwing flowers instead of a Molotov cocktail. The mural connotes that the most radical protest is not street violence, but the ability to throw flowers, or protest peacefully.
Context is Everything
Importantly, it is worth noting that this mural is painted onto the wall of the concrete wall of the West Bank; which exemplifies Banksy's continued engagement with the contexts of global conflict, change, and potential reconciliation.
There is Always Hope
Text as Image
This stencil shows the text which says "There is Always Hope" and balloon closely hanging on the precipice of survival. It is a straightforward and yet deliberate; philosophically stating that there is always hope amidst all of what is happening.
Street Level Poetry
Simply put this craft is accessible because it is uncomplicated. Remember that art can be witty and accessible while speaking to anyone passing on the street.
There is Always Hope and Girl with Balloon on London's Waterloo Bridge, 2004 | © BanksyKissing Coppers (2004)
Questioning Authority
Sprayed on the side of a Brighton pub, Kissing Coppers features two male police officers embracing. It conjures preconceptions about authority, masculinity and social conservatism in a way that is both provocative and public.
Public Engagement
It quickly became an iconic queer image in street art, licensing Banksy’s ability to elicit conversations surrounding identity and acceptance.
Kissing Coppers was originally spray-painted on the side of the Price Albert Pub in Brighton, UK | © BanksyDevolved Parliament (2009)
Politicians as Monkeys
This large-scale painting shows the UK’s House of Commons filled with chimpanzees. It is more satirical than subtle, it critiques political dysfunction and disorder.
Auction Success
It became one of his most costly works of original art sold at auction. This indicates that his cutting satire is relevant not only from a street perspective but also in elite market spaces.
Devolved Parliament, was sold at Sotheby's London for £9.9 million in 2019 | © BanksyMeaning Across his Oeuvre
Perhaps what makes Banksy the most famous is that all of his best works encapsulate wit, critique and universal symbols. Whether addressing hope, violence, love or politics, they unravel the idea that a single image can yield multiple interpretations.