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CONTEXT:

It was made in 2009. It was featured Banksy's 2009 exhibition at the Bristol Museum and was shown with other works questioning authority and consumerism. This is a satire that shows global inequality, the link between tourism in developing nations and exploitation, child labour, and white privelege.

The fact that it was shown in a museum demonstrates the message of the piece to those from priveleged backgrounds.

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The image shows a happy, smiling, white couple on a rickshaw being pulled by a child. The couple is depicted with colour in contrast to the monochromatic child pulling them. The contrast in colour and their expressions demonstrates the extreme gap in wealth and experience. The couple is enjoying themselves and are able to afford luxury, while the boy is unhappy and not able to enjoy priveleges.

The fact that the boy is struggling to pull the rickshaw reveals the exploitation involved in the tourism industry.

Attention is first drawn to the couple, they take up the most space on the image, symbolising expanding their luxuries and spreading to other countries, putting pressure on their resources and their people.

The modernity of the smart phone contrasts the rickshaw, which is an old method of transportation still used in developing countries. They have this technology but adopt the aesthetics of the rickshaw in order to have the tourist experience.

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What knowledge can you establish about the artwork?

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What knowledge can you establish about the artwork?

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The piece is known as “Crayon Boy” or sometimes “Child Soldier with Crayons” (informal titles) and is believed to have appeared in February 2011 in Los Angeles, USA. In the artwork, the violence juxtaposes with the innocence and childhood.

More precisely it was reportedly painted on a wall at the rear of a store of Urban Outfitters, Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles.

The timing is significant: it appeared just as Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop was nominated for an Oscar (2011), commentators note that the murals appeared days before the Academy vote. Also, it appeared at a time where Gun Violence especially against children was particularly prevalent in the US.

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Contextual Information:

The mural comments on xenophobia and anti-immigrant points of view in Britain.

It shows a group of grey pigeons holding protest signs saying things like “Migrants Not Welcome”, “Go Back to Africa”, and “Keep Off Our Worms”, which are directed at a small, colourful bird (a migratory exotic bird).

Through this contrast, Banksy mocks the hypocrisy of racism and nationalism. The pigeons, common and dull, symbolize the native population expressing prejudice against someone who looks different (the migratory exotic bird).

Background:

It was created just before a UK parliamentary by-election in Clacton, where the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which is known for its anti-immigration stance, was expected to win.

The timing and location were deliberate, as Banksy was critiquing the rising anti-immigrant expression in British politics.

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The title of the piece is a typical Christmas greeting used in a friendly manner.

The piece is painted around a corner, causing certain sides to be obscured depending on the viewing angle. One side shows a child in the snow; the other shows a fire. Depending on which side is viewed first, the interpretation of the piece changes.

The child is in a position of crucifixion, opening their mouth to the ash and particles coming out of the fire. On the other hand, the child may instead be welcoming the particles (based on the title and their pose), unaware of the harmful side effects.

The snow-like particles could represent environmental pollution or nuclear fallout (similar white ash was released after the Trinity nuclear test).

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We're All in the Same Boat- Leona and Aishil

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We're All in the Same Boat- Leona and Aishil

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Context:

-Location: Lowestoft, Suffolk, England – painted on a wall behind a real wooden boat (integrated into the environment)

-This piece was done in August of 2021

Throughout the artwork, the idea of social inequality amongst children is fostered. We can see that the two children drawn at the tip of the boat are more wealthy as they are seen wearing rain hats- showcasing the significant difference between lifestyles- than the child on the left (sinking side of the boat), representing the segregation and power dynamic within society.

-The use of children symbolizes innocence, vulnerability, and future generation.

-The more privileged children appear to be unaware of the struggles happening behind them. Whereas, the child on the sinking side is working hard, representing the class difference amongst the children.

-The metaphor "We're all in the same boat" critiques this illusion of equality as it implies unity, but also demonstrates irony.

Image:

In the image, the phrase that is used is "We're all in the same boat" suggests that the three children are facing the similar struggle of being trapped in a sinking, wooden boat. However, the level of responsibility and action that they partake in to resolve the problem of a sinking boat is at a different extents because of their morals and wealth, which plays a prominent role in their behavior.

Composition:

The salient image that we instantly gravitate towards is the three children, and the different things that they are focusing on. The rule of thirds is not exactly applied, but there is a balanced proportion and clarity, while the focus on the slogan used at the top.

Color:

Monochromatic shades of black and white set a dull tone which makes the message being shared feel somber.

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"Follow your dreams artwork" - nora and zoya 

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"Follow your dreams artwork" - nora and zoya 

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The artwork shows a working-class man who's standing beside a stenciled wall which states 'Follow your dreams'. The man appears to be wearing manual labour clothes - he's physically painting over the message of hope which he's erasing.

The artwork first appeared in 2010 in Chinatown, Boston. It's an urban, gritty neighbourhood which reinforces the theme of economic struggle and fading opportunity, especially in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

The financial crisis left millions unemployed, struggling to make ends meet.

The 2000's up until 2010 was marked by recession, housing market collapse, wage stagnation as well as the class division between the wealthy and the poor. However, the government kept promoting the idea of the "American Dream", and Banksy went against that by painting the word "cancelled" over this promise.

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The main focal point of Banksy's " Slave Labour "mural is the barefoot, kneeling child at a sewing machine, creating Union Jack bunting. This central image of the child directly contrasts the innocence of childhood with the exploitation of child labor, revealing a harsh reality behind the production of cheap consumer goods.

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"Follow your dreams" is a popular call to action that also alludes to the American Dream. The American dream is the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. The people living in this area of Boston often face financial and economic hardships. The man in the painting has added the word “Cancelled” on the statement in bright red, showing how the American Dream is unachievable. Depicted as a lower middle class man, he has a dissapointed expression and appears to be disillusioned in some way. This man/painter actually bears some resemblance to Pablo Picasso, who is one of the most important artists of the 20th Century, whose life could also be considered a so called dream.

The artwork shows a working-class man who's standing beside a stenciled wall which states 'Follow your dreams'.
The man appears to be
wearing manual labour clothes

﻿﻿he's physically painting over the message of hope which he's erasing.

﻿﻿The artwork first appeared in 2010 in Chinatown, Boston.
It's an urban, gritty neighbourhood which reinforces the theme of economic struggle and fading opportunity, especially in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

﻿﻿The financial crisis left millions unemployed, struggling to make ends meet.

﻿﻿The 2000's up until 2010 was marked by recession, housing market collapse, wage
stagnation as well as the class division between the wealthy and the poor. However, the government kept promoting the idea of the "American Dream", and Banksy went against that by painting the word "cancelled" over this promise.

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The mural used the metaphor of birds to highlight the absurdity and hypocrisy of prejudice against migrants, which, like migration itself is a natural phenomenon. The five grey pigeons represent the local population which are seen with protest signs. Their signs read "Migrants not welcome," "Go back to Africa," and "Keep off our worms," mockingly highlighting the judgmental and irrational nature of the population. The painting of a small, shadowed, colorful bird represents the cultural richness and diversity that immigrants bring, while their isolated position suggests its excusion and value from society.

By portraying birds with human prejudices, Banksy emphasizes that anti-immigrant attitudes are a human construct and alien to nature.

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This Banksy piece depicts a young child manufacturing Britian flags while sitting on the floor with a sewing machine. The context behind this piece is that it was painted in 2012 on the side of a Poundland store in London to protest the use of sweatshops of child labour to produce merchandise for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics. It was taken down after public outcry (as the work showed Britain in a bad light) but was later returned and then auctioned off for $1.2 million.