BANKSY // Flower Power, 1998

  • Banksy’s 1998 Flower Power depicts peaceful protest with flowers replacing weapons, early anti-war theme.
    Banksy, Flower Power, 1998.
    Original work missing. Medium and dimensions unknown.
    © Banksy.
    Flower Power (1998) is one of Banksy’s earliest large-scale works and a pivotal precursor to his now-iconic Flower Thrower. The scene captures a street protest frozen mid-chaos, yet the weapons of choice are not bricks or petrol bombs but bunches of brightly coloured flowers. The central figure, caught mid-hurl, anchors the composition and sets the tone for the surrounding crowd, all similarly armed with blossoms instead of firepower.
     
    The tension between the drab, grey city backdrop and the explosions of floral colour heightens the irony. By transforming a moment of potential violence into one of absurd beauty, Banksy exposes both the futility of conflict and the possibility of protest as symbolic theatre. Flower Power represents an early declaration of his ability to twist social commentary into an image that is both confrontational and unexpectedly poetic.
     
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  • "The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules."

    - Banksy

    First appearing in 1998, Flower Power depicts a mass of masked demonstrators flooding a city street, their bodies shaded in muted tones. Each figure is shown mid-action, preparing to hurl bouquets of flowers instead of projectiles. Scattered petals in vivid pinks, oranges, and whites cover the ground, creating a surreal contrast against the grey architecture and sombre clothing. This early work demonstrates Banksy’s instinct for visual contradiction and irony, turning a scene of urban unrest into a biting yet hopeful commentary on the absurdities of violence.