Banksy's Powerful Call for Peace

O ne of Banksy’s most celebrated works on canvas, Love is in the Air (2006), is further distinguished by the inclusion of hand-painted flowers in oil. An archetypal example of Banksy’s perceptive and stimulating commentaries on contemporary political and social events, Love is in the Air is one of the most recognisable works by the brilliant graffiti artist and offers a simple message of hope. In the tradition of other historically iconic images that preceded it, such as Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, Warhol’s Marilyn or Alfred Leete’s Lord Kitchener Wants You poster, Love is in the Air has been imitated and replicated countless t.mes s in a test.mes nt to its visual strength and power. It is indisputable that this bold and powerful work helped to establish Banksy’s place in art history, cementing his reputation as a pivotal and universally heard artistic voice.

Test.mes nt to the importance of the work and the power of its imagery—in which a masked figure of a militant stands poised to hurl a bouquet of flowers into the air—the original street intervention of Love is in the Air, was sprayed onto a wall in Palestine, and was chosen to illustrate the front cover of Banksy’s 2005 monograph Wall and Piece. The imagery of Love is in the Air is also illustrated within the book, accompanied by a passage on the toppling of the regime of President Ceausescu of Romania as told by John Simpson for BBC News. The work shares its title with the 1978 hit song by John Paul Young. Emblematic of Banksy’s wit, satire and dark humour, the title is expressive of the positive message of the work, that being the call for peace. Banksy’s iconic flower thrower has become synonymous with the artist’s thought-provoking oeuvre, a powerful image expressing the absurdity of war and the artist’s vocal advocacy for peace.  

An activist for peace, Banksy is known for his striking, tongue-in-cheek street art and compelling images that disseminate his anti-war sent.mes nts. Militarism, war and the overall advocacy for peace are key themes that Banksy explores throughout his oeuvre, juxtaposing symbols of peace with images of violence to intrigue the viewer and startle them from passivity. This can be seen in many of the artist’s most important graffiti works, particularly in those executed in the early 2000s, from the image of Mona Lisa holding a rocket launcher which appeared on a wall in Soho in 2001, to the little girl that cradles a missile in Banksy’s iconic Bomb Hugger and the banana-wielding protagonists of the artist’s Pulp Fiction. In Love is in the Air, Banksy’s masked subject adopts the pose of a violent protester, moments away from hurling his weapon into the air towards an unseen enemy.

However, Banksy takes the viewer by surprise, including a bouquet of flowers where the viewer would expect to see a weapon, such as a hand-grenade, brick or bomb. The inclusion of a bouquet of flowers recalls the flower power movement and student protests in the United States and France in the 1960s, and the iconic images of young men and women meeting guns with flowers that have memorialised these events in popular memory. During the protests against the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the United States, flowers became symbols of passive resistance and methods of non-violence, opposing the war and the atrocities it caused. With Love is in the Air, Banksy campaigns for peace rather than war, and evokes the notion of civil disobedience, highlighting the notion that weapons are not necessarily needed to achieve political or social change, and change can be achieved through non-violent.mes ans.

The imagery of Love is in the Air first appeared on the side of a garage in Beit Sahour, a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem, close to the Israeli West Bank Barrier. A 708 kilometre wall controlled by a series of checkpoints and observation towers, the Israeli West Bank Barrier separates Israel from the West Bank territories of Palestine. Banksy executed a number of graffiti works on the wall shortly after its construction in 2002, emphasising the perceived social and political injustice in the region and the effects of terrorism and militarism. Banksy is very active in the region, dedicated in his mission to demonstrate the militarism and division caused by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many works by the artist have popped up in Gaza and the West Bank since the mid-2000s, and in 2017, Banksy opened The Walled Off Hotel alongside the Barrier Wall in Bethlehem, selling it as having “the worst view of any hotel in the world” (the artist quoted in Emma Graham-Harrison, "'Worst view in the world': Banksy opens hotel overlooking Bethlehem wall", The Guardian, 3 March 2017, online).

The radiant, hand-painted flowers of Love is in the Air are a unique feature of this work. It is uncommon in Banksy’s oeuvre to see the use of hand-painted oil paint and stenciled spray paint coexist within the same image, and here, Banksy’s choice of medium enhances the message of the work and the juxtaposition of violence with peace. In Love is in the Air, the softness of the artist’s delicately-painted flowers contrasts with the graphic sharpness of his signature stenciled spray painted figure. The bright, chromatic colours of the flower arrangement instantly command the viewer’s attention and engage them in the artist’s advocacy for peace. Banksy is well known for his distinctive use of stenciling, a technique he started using widely in the late 1990s in order to create complex graffiti works very rapidly in public spaces. The use of stenciling allowed the artist to reduce the window in which he risked being caught ‘vandalizing' by the police, but without compromising the intricacy of the images. Banksy’s choice of stenciling as a technique has significance beyond pragmatic considerations: the practice has long been associated with underground political movements and punk culture, as it enables people to create visually striking images that can be reproduced quickly, cheaply and by anyone. These characteristics lend the technique to grassroots activism and speak to the DIY, anti-establishment, traditions of punk.

Executed in 2006, Love is in the Air was created after Banksy’s foray into oils in his series of vandalised oil paintings, Crude Oils: A Gallery of Re-mixed Masterpieces, Vandalism and Vermin (2005), a departure from his signature street interventions and archetypal graffiti using spray paint and stencils. The incorporation of these richly painted flowers also brings to mind the long tradition of floral still life paintings; yet in typical Banksy fashion, these vivid blooms are a far cry from the somber beauty of a 17^th century Dutch floral arrangement, or indeed the symbolic incorporation of flowers by Medieval, Renaissance and Victorian artists, but rather appear as if they may have been snatched from a local gas station to be hurled at an unseen enemy.

With works such as Love is in the Air, Banksy joins an important lineage of artists who have used their art to comment on pressing political and social issues, from Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, created after the July Revolution of 1830 as a symbol for liberty and democracy; to Andy Warhol’s use of stencils to subvert often highly political images from popular culture, as seen in Race Riot from 1964; and the many artists who have taken to the streets to disseminate their message for the world to see. The imagery of Love is in the Air has been frequently reproduced in popular culture, making this work an important, highly-sought after example from the illustrious street artist’s compelling, thought-provoking oeuvre. Today, the powerful message of Love is in the Air remains as pertinent as ever.

創 作於2016年的《愛在空氣中》是班克斯其中一幅最備受推崇的畫布作品，畫中的手繪油彩花朵更是本作的標誌。本作不但充分地體現了這位塗鴉藝術家的洞察力，更引發了觀眾對當前政治及社會事件的討論，在觀者的內心燃起一絲希望。一如達文西的《蒙娜麗莎》、沃荷的《瑪莉蓮．夢露》和阿爾弗雷德．利特（Alfred Leete）的《基奇納募兵》海報等歷史中的經典圖像，《愛在空氣中》亦廣泛地被仿傚及流傳，由此可見其視覺上的衝擊力。這幅極具影響力的作品奠定了班克斯在藝術史上的地位，使他成為膾炙人口、紅遍全球的藝術家。

《愛在空氣中》呈現了一個蒙面的激進分子正要將一束花扔向半空的場景，本作本來是一幅巴勒斯坦街邊牆上的街頭塗鴉，後來獲選為班克斯2005年出版的《Wall and Piece－塗鴉教父班克斯官方作品集》的封面，足見這個畫面所具的力量和知名度。書中亦有收錄這幅圖像，並於旁邊節錄了一段BBC新聞記者約翰．辛普森（John Simpson）對羅馬尼亞總統齊奧塞斯庫（President Ceausescu）倒台的記錄。本作與約翰．保羅．楊（John Paul Young）1978年推出的大熱歌曲同名，反映了班克斯的巧思，更借用了原作提倡和平的正面訊息。這位擲花者成為了班克斯眾多耐人尋味的作品當中的代表，強而有力地控訴著戰爭的荒謬，亦代表了班克斯倡議和平的立場。

作為一位積極倡導和平的活躍分子，班克斯最為人熟悉的街頭藝術作品通常大膽破格，充滿幽默的嘲諷，強而有力地宣傳著反戰思想。軍國主義、戰爭及倡導和平是班克斯經常探討的議題，他將象徵和平的事物與暴力的圖像放置在一起，從而勾起觀眾的好奇心，令他們從逆來順受的心態中醒覺過來。班克斯亦常於其他塗鴉作品中運用這種並置手法，特別是2000年代初期的創作，包括2001年出現在蘇豪區牆上手持火箭發射器的蒙娜麗莎，標誌性的《炸彈擁抱者》（Bomb Hugger）中抱著導彈的小女孩，以及《黑色追緝令》（Pulp Fiction）中以香蕉代替手槍的人物。在本作中，班克斯筆下的蒙面主角看似一位暴力的示威者，正要將武器擲向畫面外的敵人。這位示威者理論上應拿著手榴彈、磚塊或炸彈，但班克斯卻以一束鮮花取代武器，為觀眾帶來驚喜。班克斯這樣將花束融入到畫面中，令人聯想起「權力歸花」運動（Flower Power movement）及1960年代在美國及法國發生的學生示威，當時年輕男女在示威中以花束回應槍械威嚇的標誌性照片，令這些事件深深地烙印在公眾的腦海之中。在1960年代後期至1970年代初，美國有不少反越戰的示威，而花朵在這些場合中成為了消極抵抗的象徵及非暴力的對抗手法，用以反對戰爭及戰爭相關暴行。班克斯以《愛在空氣中》提倡和平而非戰爭，勾起公民抗命的情緒，突顯出武器並非政治或社會改革中的必需品，非暴力的手法亦可帶來改變。

《愛在空氣中》的擲花者首次出現在以色列西岸隔離牆附近、伯利恆以東的巴勒斯坦小鎮貝特沙奧爾的一面車房外牆上。長達708公里的以色列西岸隔離牆分隔著以色列及巴勒斯坦的約旦河西岸地區，其結構包括眾多檢查站及瞭望塔。隔離牆於2002年建成，班克斯隨即在牆上畫上多個塗鴉作品，從而彰顯出這個地區的社會及政治不公義，以及恐怖主義與軍國主義的禍害。班克斯在這個地區非常活躍，創作了不少作品，藉此展示因以色列與巴勒斯坦之間的衝突而引致的分歧及軍國主義。自2000年代中期起，不少班克斯作品在加沙及西岸地區出現。2017年，他在隔離牆的伯利恆段附近開設了「圍牆酒店」（The Walled Off Hotel），並以「世界上景觀最差的酒店」作為宣傳。

明艷的手繪鮮花是這幅作品的一大特色。班克斯鮮少在同一作品中使用油彩及模版噴漆，他的這個選擇更突顯了本作的訊息，強調了暴力與和平的對照。細緻陰柔的花束，與突出而銳利的標誌性模版噴漆人物形成強烈對比。花束明亮艷麗的色彩馬上捉住了觀眾的目光，扣人心弦地訴說著班克斯對和平的呼喚。班克斯以獨一無二的模版塗鴉技巧而聞名於世，他自1990年代後期起便經常運用這種手法，在公共空間快速地創作出複雜的塗鴉作品。這手法大大減低了作畫的時間，從而減少了他以塗鴉「破壞公物」時被捕的機會，但同時仍能讓塗鴉作品維持極高的水準。除了這個實用的優點，模版塗鴉亦有著更重大的意義，因為任何人也可以用這個方法以頗低成本並非常迅速地廣泛複製並傳播一些具有衝擊力的圖像，所以這樣的塗鴉常與地下政治運動及龐克文化聯繫在一起。因著這些特質，模版塗鴉與龐克文化中反建制及「DIY」（Do-It-Yourself）的精神正好不謀而合，更非常適合草根行動主義。

自2005年「粗魯油畫：重新合成的傑作：惡意破壞與社會敗類」（Crude Oils: A Gallery of Re-Mixed Masterpieces: Vandalism and Vermin）的惡搞油畫系列起，班克斯稍為脫離他招牌的街頭藝術及以噴漆與模版創作的經典塗鴉，轉而涉足油畫，其後於2006年創作了《愛在空氣中》。畫中色彩鮮艷飽滿的花朵，令人聯想起花卉靜物畫源遠流長的歷史，而班克斯筆下這明媚奪目的花束，與十七世紀荷蘭油畫內沉鬱美麗的花卉擺設，或中世紀、文藝復興及維多利亞時代畫作中具有象徵意味的鮮花截然不同，更像是隨便從附近的油站買來，要擲向某個看不見的敵人。

憑著《愛在空氣中》等作品，班克斯與歷史上其他透過藝術對迫切的政治及社會議題表達意見的藝術大師齊名，包括歐仁・德拉克洛瓦與安迪．沃荷，前者以1830年七月革命為藍本創作出代表自由民主的《自由領導人民》（Liberty Leading the People），後者則以流行文化為手段，顛覆一些本來極具政治意味的圖像，例如1964年的《種族暴亂》（Race Riot）等模版印刷作品。另外還有不少藝術家選擇將藝術帶到大街小巷，將他們想表達的訊息公諸於世。《愛在空氣中》經常被複製，在流行文化中廣為流傳，令它成為備受追捧的班克斯典範之作，並且一如以往地發人深省。時至今日，《愛在空氣中》所表達的訊息依然歷久常新。