BANKSY // Love Is In The Air, 2002

  • Banksy’s 2002 Love is in the Air rioter throws flowers, signature peace-through-violence image.

    Banksy, Love is in the Air, 2002

    Stencil spray paint on canvas, 51 × 43 cm (20 1/16 × 16 15/16 inches)
    © Banksy (b. 1975)

    Among Banksy’s most iconic images, Love is in the Air stands as an early and powerful iteration of his defining ‘flower thrower’ motif. Created in 2002, three years before the now-famous mural near the West Bank barrier, this stencil captures a moment of defiant hope amid conflict. It was this image that propelled Banksy from street artist to global activist, turning the anonymous figure into a 21st-century symbol of reconciliation and non-violent insurgence.
     
    Love is in the Air carries a subtle wink with its title, nodding to the 1978 John Paul Young hit. As violent clashes persist, the image remains a steadfast beacon, reminding us all of the enduring power of peaceful rebellion. Evoking the spirit of the 1960s pacifist rallying cry “Make Love Not War,” this piece transcends its moment, capturing the hopeful defiance that defines Banksy’s art.

     

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  • “There are four basic human needs; food, sleep, sex and revenge.” – Banksy
    Created in 2002, Love is in the Air depicts a masked protester frozen mid-throw, his arm extended as if about to launch a projectile. In his hand, however, is a brightly coloured bouquet of flowers. The sharp black stencil against a pale background heightens the tension, contrasting aggression with fragility. This simple inversion of expectation established one of Banksy’s most enduring motifs and cemented his reputation for pairing satire with striking visual clarity.
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