“I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in – like peace and justice and freedom.”
—Banksy

Complete with his iconic stencilled imagery, brazen political satire and signature red heart balloon, Kids on Guns is prime example of Banksy’s controversial visual practice. Executed in 2003, the same year as his first major exhibition in the UK, Kids on Guns is one of the British street artist’s most recognisable early compositions, and part of an edition of just 25 works. The stark, shocking composition is in keeping with the artist’s enduring anti-war imagery, plainly delivering a universal commentary on contemporary issues such as terrorism, authority and capitalism.
 

The contrasting, punchy visuals barely conceal a more sombre, hard-hitting reality, giving way to reveal the visual paradox of the two young children - the epitome of innocence - amidst the overflowing, violent weaponry. The young boy, clutching his teddy bear to his chest, appears to console the young girl, who carries the infamous red heart balloon that has since become a hallmark of Banksy’s trade. Their emotive depiction, juxtaposed against the sharp, jutting edges of the various guns and artillery at their feet, serves as a blatant critique of a global society riddled with conflict and aggression. The compositional arrangement, with the figures standing at the apex of a towering pile of symbolic violence, draws pronounced visual parallels with Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, the July 28^th, 1830, inspired by the bloody July revolution in Paris that saw the overthrow of Charles X. A renowned depiction of heroic rebellion, it became one of the artist’s most well-known and recognisable paintings, held in the permanent collection at the Louvre and, to this day, remains a work synonymous with themes of liberation, democracy and victory over oppression. The leading figure, a classical personification of liberty, brandishes a Tricolour, the crimson red of the flag recalling that of the balloon in the present work, and the tumultuous scene rises in a similar pyramidal arrangement of death and violence, delineated by the sharp protrusion rifles and bayonets. Kids on Guns bears a marked comparison with the 19^th Century masterpiece, both visually and conceptually, a contemporary reinterpretation that reiterates the same socio-political concerns that, tragically, endure nearly two centuries later with modern warfare. Laced with inherent undertones of violence, the iconography of the innocent children perhaps also provides an element of hope that humanity and compassion have the power to overcome conflict in the same way that liberty presided over Paris in Delacroix’s time.

 

Banksy on the Streets

 

In October 2013, Banksy took part in an artist’s residency in New York City titled Better Out Than In, during which he set up a pop-up stall in Central Park that sold his works to oblivious tourists and passersby. An edition of Kids on Guns was one of the stencilled black and white canvases available, alongside a variety of other recognisable pieces such as Laugh Now and Love Is In the Air. The accessibility and availability of the works – priced at just $60 each - throws into sharp relief the artist’s witty and ironic take on the art market and wider art establishments. This exemplifies the artist’s militant attitude towards the workings of capitalist society more generally. Emerging from the upheaval of the political urban landscape on the ground in Bristol during the 1980s and early 1990s, Banksy’s practice was shaped by his rejection of authoritarian structure and societal brutality; radical and disruptive in his approach, these counter-culture ideologies define every aspect of his immensely satirical practice. Arguably one of the world’s most recognisable and renowned graffiti artists, his adopted, spray-painted visual language is born out of an institutional critique that retains its distinctive, anti-establishment energy.

“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
—Banksy

Collector’s Digest

 

• A cult figure in the contemporary art landscape, Banksy’s repudiation of authority, direct imagery, and universal appeal has established him among the forefront of street artists today. Ingrained in the popular consciousness, in 2010, Banksy was named by Time Magazine alongside President Barack Obama and Steve Jobs as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
   

• A medium that remains integral to his practice, Banksy’s ability to engage and disrupt through graffiti has been demonstrated most recently through his London Zoo series. Painted over nine consecutive days in August of this year, several animals were defaced or stolen shortly after their conception.