Banksy vs Bristol Museum

Upon entering Bristol Museum, after a large but fast-moving queue, I was greeted by a vandalised ice-cream truck and a happy policeman riding a rocking horse to and fro. All of which gave me the sense that I was in for one of the first museum trips that I could honestly say was enjoyable!

The first floor is Banksy dominated and split into two main sections. One section consisting of canvas-based artworks, and the other featuring caged, 3-D items.

The canvas-based section questions modern society (as is Banksy's style), and picks up on particular topics such as the police force and modern politicians. Often challenging the stereotype of the police being "tough" by presenting them in varying situations, such as running through a meadow holding hands, or (as seen above) riding a children's play-park ride. What was most memorable and eye-catching for me was the wall-sized portrait of the House of Parliament. In which all politicians were replaced with monkeys (rather fittingly), obviously picking up on certain outrages stories that I shan't mention now.

The second section was very surreal. Monkeys painting, caged families of hot-dogs and swimming fish fingers. Very surreal indeed. Once again, these were not just random pieces of art that Banksy created for the purpose of humour. They all expressed strong messages about modern society and all of it's faults. It made me think of social issues that I have never put a great deal of thought into before. Issues such as animal testing, displayed visually through a Rabbit applying make-up in front of a bathroom mirror (see right). These thought provoking tendencies were a running theme throughout the exhibit.

That wasn't the end of the Banksy fun. Far from it. The rest of the museum was littered with examples of Banky's work, whether it was a clever adaption to another artist's work or the odd rubber sex-toy (that's correct, rubber sex-toy!). Not his most thought provoking piece of art but humorous non-the-less.


As a keen Banksy fan, I could not pass up the opportunity to see an exhibit displaying the graffiti artist's genius, and it was far more than I could have expected. As I was leaving, taking it all in one last time, I noticed the guest book. Words could not express how much I enjoyed my visit. I simply wrote, "Awesome".