Banksy’s motives touch on many themes, typically mixing humour with politics or philosophy. The following is just a quick reflection on his most common subjects:
- Religion: Toxic Mary, Silent Night, Forgive us our trespassing, Christ w Shoppingbags, Walled Off Hotel is located in Bethlehem, The Alternativity Play, The Cardinal sculpture, Flying Copper, etc. etc
- Anti-war and weapon industry: Applause, Precision Bombing, Golf Sale, Gold Flag
- Police brutality: I fought the Law, etc
- Anti-imperialism: The Walled Off museum, Gold Flag, Zehra Dougan
- Big Brother: CCTV
- Anti-materialism: Tesco, Very Little Helps, The Lifestyle you bought, etc
- The celebrity cult and tabloid press: The Cinderella Castle at Dismaland
- Art-establishment: Morons, The shredding at Sotheby’s.
- Love: GWB, Kissing Coppers
- Philosophy: GWB, Everything you do echoes in eternity etc
- Humour: Ballgames, Achoo, the Spraycation blitz
- Refugees. The Calais blitz in 2015, the Mediterranean Seaview, Refugee boat
- Ecology: Stop Esso, Dismaland
- HBQT: Kissing Coppers, Beanfield, Queen Vic
- Caricatures: Banksquiat, Kate Moss, Soup Can, the Crude Oil pieces
Maybe the religious theme is the most surprising for an artist with roots in graffiti. Let’s have a look at some of the artwork with explicit Christian references in them:
One might add Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, where Christianity was born.
Banksy unofficial 