Jack & Jill Banksy

Banksy, Jack & Jill, signed screenprint edition of 150, 2005

Another nuanced piece by Banksy in which he passes comment on society and cultural norms is Jack and Jill, or Police Kids as it is sometimes called. In this artwork which was released in 2005, two children can be seen skipping together, seemingly without care or concern. The clothing the children wear suggests it is summer, bare arms and legs, and the young girl seems to have picked flowers peek out from the bag she carries in her left hand. It seems to be a serene and idyllic scene, but, all is not as it seems. The children are both wearing bulky Police issue bulletproof vests. Banksy is a frequent critic of law enforcement, authority and the police force; it is likely that he is suggesting here that the authorities have too much influence over our freedoms, but others argue that this may be Banksy’s way of telling us our children are either over-protected or not protected enough… The signed edition of this piece was released in an edition of 150.