BANKSY, GUANTANAMO BAY, OIL ON CANVAS, 2006
Guantanamo Bay depicts a kneeling man in an orange prison uniform in handcuffs with a black bag over his head on the shore of an idyllic oil painting of a seashore. This work belongs to the artist’s much celebrated Crude Oils series along with artworks such as Countryside CCTV. In this series, Banksy reproduces and hijacks traditional oil paintings by Old Masters, and even succeeded at smuggling them into exhibitions at major international museums such as The Louvre and the British Museum. Banksy juxtaposes the kitschy, classic style of landscape oil painting to the eerie, photorealistic figure. The title of the painting suggests the connection of the notorious American prison facility, Guantanamo Bay to the seascape portrayed in the piece.
The kneeling detainee in orange originally appeared on September 8th, 2006, as an inflatable doll on the grounds of Disneyland within a collaboration between Thierry Guetta and Banksy as a powerful, provocative social commentary on the War on Terror. Contrasted to the escapism of the popular theme park, the guerilla-style pop-up sculpture reminded audiences of the harsh reality happening outside of their own bubbles.
ABOUT BANKSY
Banksy is undoubtedly the world’s most sought-after and talked about street artist, his work represents his political and social commentary on the world, and has appeared on city walls throughout it – from London to New York, from Jamaica to the Gaza Strip.
Banksy is not only known for his high profile murals, he has been releasing limited edition prints for many years, produced in various formats, including signed and unsigned works, as well as artist proofs and gift prints. However, only a very select number of people know exactly what the elusive street artist creates and how many he releases. Some editions, for example, are only made available to VIPs, collectors and friends of Banksy’s who are part of the much-coveted inner circle. This has only made the demand for his limited edition silkscreen prints and artists proofs in circulation, grow in popularity year on year. Learn more about street artist Banksy.
