Grannies
The bubblegum pink Grannies print by Banksy was first shown in painting format at Banksy’s renowned 2006 exhibition Barely Legal in L.A. A year later, Pictures of Walls released a signed edition of 150 an unsigned addition of 600 as well as a small hand-finished signed print edition of just 11. In the work we see two grandmothers who are innocently knitting on armchairs flanked by cups of tea and a lampshade suggesting a cost and warm living room. However, in archetypal Banksy fashion a twist is given to the work as, emblazoned in block-capitals across the jumpers, what they are knitting says “Punks Not Dead” and “Thug For Life”. The phrase “Punks not dead” is the title of first studio album by the Scottish punk rock band The Exploited, released in April 1981 on Secret Records. Working class and loyal to the first impulses of the 1970s punk movement, the album was a reaction to critics who believed the punk rock genre was dead, and went against popular trends such as new wave and post-punk. Tupac Shakur is the second musical reference that we see within Grannies. It's his concept of "THUG LIFE" that is shown in the work. The phrase is an acronym for "The Hate U Gave Little Infants F*cks Everybody," which, according to the rapper, means, "What you feed us as seeds, grows and blows up in your face."
Grannies, executed in Banksy’s well-known stencil style, juxtaposes the concept of an innocent grandmother with rebellious slogans. Examining the work, we are filled with questions as to its meaning - who are these grannies wearing such unusual attire? Pictured stereotypically knitting, these grannies are far removed from the archetypal doting grandmother. Emblazoned with anti-establishment, ironic slogans we question the,. Were theyonce anti-establishment, perhaps early shoppers at Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm Maclaren’s Sex boutique on the King’s Road in the 60’s? Or are they merely adopting the look of these underground movements? As with all Banksy works, meaning can be multifaceted and occasionally obtuse. When people are called punks or call themselves punks, it is usually seen as a description of their physical persona or dress; rarely is it acknowledged that there is a mental and intellectual attitude that sets them apart. Punk is a mentality, but it isn't a consistent mentality. Regardless of how we view the work or our interpretation, Grannies plays with this concept through reversing the commonly held notion to show the external rather than the internal. Buy Banksy Grannies print by Banksy.
Festival
Released in 2006 as part of the Barely Legal set, Banksy’s Festival, also known as Destroy Capitalism, was printed by Modern Multiples of Los Angeles. In the artwork, we as the viewer see a line of figures - reminiscent of the long queues at music festivals - in a queue to buy a t-shirt that bears the slogan “Destroy Capitalism”. The figures in waiting to buy the t-shirt are those one would commonly associate with anti-capitalist tendencies including, punks, hippies and freegans. At first glance, irony abounds in the work as the figures are those one would not expect to buy such a piece of merchandise. On deeper analysis, much like with all of the artist’s works, we see a highly layered and poignant piece that can be read in many ways. Are those queueing true anarchists? Or are their clothes, an outward expression of their personality, at odds with their actual thoughts and desires? An illusion or facade is created in their outfits as we as the viewers look on wondering as to the true identities of the supposed punks. Mask wearing and the hiding of identity are, of course, associated with Banksy whose true identity is unknown. Buy Banksy Festival print.
Turf War
Named after Banksy’s seminal Turf War exhibition at a warehouse in Kingsland Road in London’s East End, Turf War was released in 2004 by Pictures on Walls as a signed edition of 150 and an unsigned edition of 600. The exhibition, one of the artist’s earliest, garnered controversy in the mainstream for its subversive political messages, barbed social critiques and revolutionary nature. In Turf War we see a reimagining of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill who is given a bright green mohawk haircut. Churchill, in typical stoic fashion, stares the viewer down as the haircut undermines his steely gaze turning him into almost a figure of ridicule. Epitomising the “Bulldog Spirit” that has become part of the cultural fabric of the United Kingdom, Churchill is a national icon and held in great esteem by the country as a representative of “true British values”. Indeed, shortly before the creation of the work Churchill was voted number one by the nation in the BBC television series. 100 Greatest Britons.
As seen in other works such as Queen Vic, Have a Nice Day and Flying Copper Banksy uses his wit to entice the view to mock and ridicule the establishment whilst questioning the authority that is given to such figures of power and control. With the punk rock haircut of a dissident, Banksy subverts and ridicules Churchill in perhaps what can be seen as a commentary on nationalism and the esteem that politicians and members of the elite are held in. Buy Banksy Turf War print.
Rude Copper
When Banksy created the Rude Copper mural, it featured two British police officers, sticking their middle fingers up at the viewer. The duo makes for an incredibly striking and impactful work of street art on the London Street where it first appeared. In 2002, Banksy released Rude Copper as a screen print, though in the print only one of the two policemen appear. The print is an entirely black and white design with very little detailing. The officer raises his middle finger with an arrogant look upon his face, wearing an old-fashioned custodian helmet, introduced into the British police force in 1863. Although still worn today, this garment is largely considered to be the staple of the old ‘Bobby on the Beat’, a local, friendly neighbourhood copper, who is a sharp contrast to the actions of the officer in the image. Banksy’s scathing opinion of authority and law enforcement can be seen across much of his artwork, and this is no exception. Donuts is another such print, formulating more light-heartedly humorous, tongue-in-cheek critique on the police. In the hand finished work, available at Andopa, we see the famous anarchic-punk symbol on the background which is the symbol of anarchism; an A inside a circle (and often extending slightly beyond it). The symbol is derived from the slogan "Anarchy is Order" by French anarchist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. Buy Rude Copper print by Banksy. 
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