Weston-Super-Mare
The Weston-Super-Mare motif first appeared in painting format at Banksy’s critically acclaimed first solo show at the Severn shed restaurant in Bristol. Released by publishers Pictures on Walls in 2003 as a limited edition of 150 signed versions, 750 signed versions and 8 Artist Proofs - the work is unique for a Banksy print as it is in the less commonly used landscape format.
The work depicts a senior citizen sitting on a bench (often found alongside seaside promenades) with his hands neatly folded and a cane by his side. The idyllic illusion is shattered by the inclusion towards the right-hand side of the work of a circular saw approaching him at speed.
Eschewing the brighter colour palettes found in other works, Weston-Super-Mare uses more muted, neutral colours. A sense of immediacy is injected into the piece with the cartoonish circular saw that breaks the illusions created by the more realistic old age pensioner. Recalling vintage postcards sold at typical British seaside towns, the work brings death and destruction into the most quotidian of contexts.
Bomb Middle England
Much like Weston-Super-Mare, Banksy’s Bomb Middle England (or Bombing Middle England) sees the artist take aim at the middle classes using imagery which subverts the archetypical, village-life game of bowls - often associated with the elderly and the middle classes. Created in 2003, a unique version of the artwork was created with spray paint and acrylic paint on plywood, was auctioned in 2007 at Sotheby’s for the £102,000 GBP which set a record at the time for the highest valued Banksy work at auction!
The artwork depicts three middle class, older ladies playing a traditional game of bowls and is executed in the artist’s famous stencil style. Behind the lead image are two, strong green bands inspired by the neat, green grass on which the game is played. Humorously the artist replaces the bowls with bombs flowing across the length of the lawn. Lit and ready to explode, the bombs add menace amongst the serene group of elderly players. The tension within the piece is a superb example of how the artist draws from daily life and twists the imagery. As with many works, Bomb Middle England can be seen as a socio-political commentary where the artist explores the indifference of the middle class. Blindly tossing bombs not bowls, they are blind to the destruction and chaos that they have the capacity to wreak.
Have A Nice Day
Have A Nice Day shows a line of 27 riot police in a single flanking an armoured vehicle - the type commonly used to disperse riots and protests. Dressed in all black riot gear, the group, in unison, approach the unknown threat and face towards the viewer. The faces of the police, in contrast to the realism of their uniforms, weapons and the vehicle are replaced with the acid house smiley face which challenges and subverts our expectations. Intimidating or amusing? Both, perhaps? 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 a smaller than average signed and unsigned edition sizes and typical Banksy social commentary, Have a Nice Day is a popular choice for collectors seeking a rarer and lesser known Banksy print.
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