Very Little Helps
Very Little Helps
Year: 2008
Location: Essex Road, London, England
Very Little Helps, also known as Tesco Kids, appeared in 2008, on the side of a pharmacy, on Essex Road. This, now iconic Banksy mural, depicts a group of children pledging their allegiance to Tesco, a British supermarket chain. Two young children are saluting, while another child is raising a Tesco plastic bag on an electricity cable cleverly transformed into a flag pole.
Very Little Helps, even though covered in Perspex, has been “vandalized” several times and is partially damaged by added text, heads of children and the flag have been painted over.
As was customary by this time it became very popular and attracted a lot of onlookers. As the owner of the building realized its value, it was covered in Perspex and treated with protective varnish that changed the original color of the work. Later, as part of a feud with Robbo, it was vandalized and deteriorated with the flag being changed to pay tribute to the graffiti writer. The work is now barely visible.
The image is a critique on society’s reliance on mass consumerism and multinational corporations. Banksy also released Very Little Helps as a screen-print in 2008, in a signed edition of 300.
Very Little Helps, 2008
Screen-print on paper
Edition: 300 signed
