Heavy Weaponry, 1998
Spray-paint on MDF board
50.5 x 52.5 cm (19 7/8 x 20 11/16 inches)
Unique
Bonhams London: 30 June 2010
GBP 38,400 / USD 52,920
Exhibited
Severnshed, Bristol, 2000
This work is believed to be one of the first Heavy Weaponry Banksy ever realized.
Heavy Weaponry is one of Banksy’s iconic visuals. It depicts a singular elephant made in Banksy’s recognizable stencil style with a rocket strapped to its back, hence the double-entendre in the witty title. The entire composition consists of a minimally depicted animal simply strolling forward, heavy with irony. The image of the elephant bearing a rocket on its back carries various interpretations; presumably the general message is anti-military, in line with Banksy’s other works using similar imagery.
Using the elephant as a symbol resonates with other famous Banksy works featuring various animals that represent ordinary people or the ‘masses’ vis-a-vis the establishment and the military-industrialist complex.
