BANKSY // Toxic Mary (Double), 2003

  • Banksy’s 2003 Toxic Mary Double shows Madonna feeding poison, striking religious commentary.
    Banksy, Toxic Mary (Double), 2003
    Enamel and emulsion on cardboard
    200.4 × 170.2 cm (78 7/8 × 67 inches)
    Stencilled “BANKSY” (lower centre)
    © Banksy
    Painted on a monumental scale, Toxic Mary (double) is a spare yet profoundly evocative work. Against a shimmering gold backdrop, Banksy reimagines the Renaissance Madonna as a mirrored pair of Virgin Marys, each cradling baby Jesus - only here, the infants feed from bright orange hazard bottles beneath rifle sights. A lone star hangs in the heavens while aeroplanes roar below, blending sacred iconography with stark symbols of danger and surveillance.
     
    First revealed in Banksy’s secretive 2003 Turf War exhibition in East London - a show shuttered by police after just two days - Toxic Mary epitomises the artist’s brazen political voice. Using his signature multi-layered stencil technique, developed after a youthful brush with the law, Banksy crafts fiercely crisp lines that convey urgency and rebellion. 
  • A wall is a very big weapon. It’s one of the nastiest things you can hit someone with.” – Banksy
    Created in the early 2000s, Bomb Love shows a young girl hugging a large bomb as though it were a toy. The work was originally executed in stencil form on urban walls, later produced as screen prints with vibrant bubblegum pink backgrounds. The flat, graphic clarity of the composition allows the image to be read instantly, intensifying the contrast between childhood innocence and military threat. This striking clash of imagery has made Bomb Love one of Banksy’s most recognisable anti-war symbols.