Meaning & Analysis

Happy Choppers is a signed spray paint on canvas made by the critically acclaimed British street artist Banksy in 2006. Released in an edition of 3, the canvas mirrors the screen prints of the same name which were shown at Banksy’s exhibition Santa’s Ghetto. The exhibition was organised in order to raise awareness about the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the poverty IN the West Bank, a subject which Banksy often explores in his artworks.

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Using spray paint and stencils, Banksy depicts a squadron of armed military helicopters rendered in black and grey spray paint which are flying through a vibrant blue sky. The beautiful sky with cartoon-like clouds contrasts with the negative connotations associated with these military helicopters, namely war and violence. The jarring contrast between beauty and violence is exaggerated further as Banksy adds a pink bow to the lead helicopter’s propellor. Before being made into a screen print, the design for Happy Choppers was first seen in 2002 as a mural that Banksy spray painted at the Whitecross Street Market in London.

The image of a helicopter has become a recurring visual motif that features throughout Banksy’s artworks to represent war and military intervention. The artist’s work is strongly influenced by his political ideology and values, and Banksy’s anti-war stance is often exhibited in his art, as is seen in this print and others such as Bomb Love, 2001.