BANKSY // Lenin in Sight, 2004

  • Banksy’s 2004 Lenin in Sight reimagines revolutionary icon in modern dystopian context.

    Banksy, Lenin in Sight, 2004
    Spray-paint and emulsion on wood
    59×60 cm (23 1/4 x 23 3/4 inches)

    © Banksy.

    In this provocative portrait, Banksy collides authoritarianism with anarchism, reimagining Vladimir Lenin with a bright red mohawk, nose ring, and punk earrings - all placed squarely in the crosshairs of a sniper scope. Stark black-and-white stencilling contrasts with a flash of red, turning the image into a visual landmine.
     
    The punkified Lenin becomes a symbol of ideological whiplash: revolutionary turned relic, icon turned target. Is the sniper’s aim a threat of erasure, or a metaphor for propaganda warfare? Banksy’s remix of Soviet iconography and punk defiance forces viewers to confront state control, surveillance, and the performative nature of revolution—delivered, of course, with his signature deadpan subversion.

     

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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

    Lenin in sight (2004) depicts a stencilled portrait of Vladimir Lenin, altered with punk details including a red mohawk, nose ring, and earrings. The figure is framed by the crosshairs of a sniper scope, merging the language of propaganda with imagery of targeting. Combining political satire with punk aesthetics, the piece embodies Banksy’s irreverent style while questioning both revolution and repression.
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