Each is a unique variation
Spray-paint and emulsion on canvas
55×55 cm (21 5/8 x 21 5/8 inches)
Numbered /10 in black marker on the reverse
Heavy Weaponry depicts a singular elephant made in Banksy’s recognizable stencil style with a rocket strapped to its back. 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.
“As soon as I cut my first stencil I could feel the power there. I like the political edge. All graffiti is low-level dissent, but stencils have an extra history. They’ve been used to start revolutions and to stop wars.”
This version of Heavy Weaponry is filled with a variety of symbols and motifs that have recurred throughout the Bristol-born artist’s practice: an oversize barcode, his signature elephant backpacking a missile, and the names of the cities where the artist painted the most murals. The painting feels charged with a veiled anti-war sentiment, mocking the commoditization of military engagement. Obviously, Banksy‘s own heavy weaponry remains his stencil and the art of the image, and London, New York, Bristol (Heavy Weaponry) reads as much a declaration of intent for artistic intervention in these locations as a critique of militant malpractice.
Auction Results
Bonhams London: 9 December 2020
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 312,750 / USD 415,915
Bonhams : Banksy (British, b. 1975) London, New York, Bristol (Heavy Weaponry), 2000
