Banksy reimagines an iconic still from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 cult classic film, Pulp Fiction, originally a 2002 graffitied street artwork located near the Old Street tube station in London. Banksy reorients Tarantino’s narrative by replacing John Travolta’s and Samuel L. Jackson’s guns with bananas reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s famous banana motif. Banksy’s Pulp Fiction references a tense scene in the film introducing a storyline that Tarantino calls “The Bonnie Situation,” when the two characters shared a near death experience in a gun fight prompting a series of theological and philosophical discussions throughout the film. Replacing weapons with objects like bananas fits into a greater theme in Banksy’s work, also seen in Flower Thrower, a masked man throws a colorful bouquet instead of a Molotov cocktail. This image was a call for peace after the erection of Jerusalem’s West Bank Wall in 2003.

Banksy’s imagery prompts important discussions on current global issues while challenging the definition of art itself. His identity has eluded the public for decades, a choice based in both practical and philosophical reasons, forcing the viewer to solely confront his work’s messages. For this same reason, the original graffitied Pulp Fiction was at the center of controversy in London and amongst the art world. Five years after its creation, the work was painted over by Transport for London on the grounds that it created a "general atmosphere of neglect and social decay which in turn encourages crime,” thus sparking further debate on what qualifies as art and how it should be displayed.ⁱ For Banksy, his printed editions are a secure way to ensure the legacy of such dynamic images, given the often ephemeral nature of his practice.

ⁱ“Iconic Banksy image painted over,” BBC News, April 20, 2007, online.