• BANKSY    Editions

  • Banksy’s 2003 Have a Nice Day riot police wear yellow smileys, critique of forced order.
    Banksy, Have A Nice Day, 2003.
    Screen-print in black on wove paper, 35 × 100 cm. Edition of 500 (50 signed, 450 unsigned).
    © Banksy.

    Have a Nice Day, 2003

    Have a Nice Day, 2003 is a wide sized print compared to Banksy's other print releases. The lined up police officers and central tank present an intimidating sight for the viewer, especially when seen in person. Using a similar motif to Flying Copper, 2003, the figures are shown with smiley faces in contrast to the riot gear and weaponry.
     
    The calligraphy and smiling faces demonstrate an almost threatening implication. The connotation of the work showing a supposed positive message with a militant force follows Banksy's approach to presenting the blurred line between community protectors and a tyranical power. 

  • "I don't think you can choose a style. Your circumstances force it on you"

     

    - Banksy

    The composition of Have a Nice Day draws the viewer into a staged tension, where the figures, stripped of individual identity, form a faceless wall of authority. The tank at the center anchors the piece with its looming, mechanized presence, underscoring the theme of dehumanization. The deliberate use of symmetry and repetition creates a sense of inevitability, as if the scene shows a cyclical abuse of power. The contrast between the mundane phrase 'Have a Nice Day' and the menacing imagery heightens the absurdity, compelling the viewer to confront the dissonance between surface appearances and the underlying reality.