BANKSY
Turn Right or Get Shot, 2011
Black tape on street sign
76×76 cm (29 7/8 x 29 7/8 inches)
Signed and dated “Banksy 2011” on the reverse
Exhibited
Art in the Streets, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, 17 April – 8 August 2011
Catalogue Note
Created for the landmark exhibition Art in the Streets at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Turn Right or Get Shot demonstrates Banksy’s extraordinary ability to transform an ordinary object into a powerful political statement. Working directly on a found American traffic sign, the artist alters the familiar symbol of a right turn using nothing more than strips of black tape. The resulting image reveals a handgun aimed at the driver, quietly replacing a simple traffic instruction with a threat of violence.
The intervention is remarkably economical. Nothing has been added beyond the black tape itself, yet the meaning of the sign changes completely. What was once a neutral piece of public information becomes an instrument of intimidation. Banksy exposes how easily symbols of civic order can be manipulated, reminding us that authority often depends as much on perception as on force.
The work also explores the relationship between guidance and coercion. Traffic signs are designed to organize movement for the common good, relying upon voluntary compliance rather than physical compulsion. By transforming an arrow into a firearm, Banksy suggests that the line separating instruction from intimidation can sometimes be surprisingly thin. The apparent freedom to choose a direction dissolves the moment violence enters the equation.
This ambiguity extends beyond the road itself. Throughout his career, Banksy has repeatedly questioned political slogans, advertising, public signage and other systems that quietly shape human behaviour. Here, the altered sign becomes a broader metaphor for societies in which obedience is presented as choice, while dissent carries consequences that remain unspoken but clearly understood.
The choice of a found street sign is particularly significant. Unlike a painted representation, the object once belonged to the everyday fabric of public space. Banksy preserves its function as an instantly recognizable symbol while stripping away its practical purpose. The sign ceases to regulate traffic and instead regulates ideas, demonstrating how familiar visual language can be redirected with the smallest possible intervention.
Created in 2011, Turn Right or Get Shot belongs to Banksy’s continuing exploration of altered signage, alongside works such as Stop Esso, Untitled (Stop Sign with Crow) and numerous street interventions in which official symbols are subtly rewritten. In each case, the artist reveals how fragile the authority of public signs becomes once their visual certainty is questioned. Ultimately, Turn Right or Get Shot is less about politics than about power itself. Banksy reminds us that genuine choice disappears the moment compliance is enforced through fear rather than persuasion.
