BANKSY STREET ART // Choose Your Weapon, 2010

  • Choose Your Weapon first appeared in October 2010 on the side of The Grange Pub in Bermondsey, London. Initially boarded...
    Banksy, Choose Your Weapon, October 2010.
    The Grange, London, England.
    © Banksy.
    Choose Your Weapon first appeared in October 2010 on the side of The Grange Pub in Bermondsey, London. Initially boarded over, the work quickly re-emerged, this time framed and protected by perspex, confirming its status as an important Banksy intervention.
     
    The mural depicts a hooded figure walking a barking cartoon dog, directly referencing Keith Haring’s famous motif. Banksy transforms the image into a biting commentary on urban youth, gang culture, and the way aggression becomes a substitute for power. The man’s casual posture, with one hand in his pocket, contrasts with the sharp menace of the dog, suggesting both detachment and latent threat. By presenting the animal as both cartoonish and dangerous, Banksy highlights the absurdity of violence while capturing the anxiety of street culture in contemporary Britain.
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  • "Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city, it’s a tool"

    - Banksy 

    Unveiled in 2010, Choose Your Weapon marked one of Banksy’s most talked-about London murals. The work shows a hooded youth holding the lead of an angular cartoon dog, a direct nod to Keith Haring’s iconic barking dog motif. Banksy reimagines Haring’s symbol of energy and protest as a darker, urban counterpart, aligning it with questions of identity, control, and violence in modern Britain.
    The juxtaposition is striking: the handler’s slouched, indifferent stance contrasts with the animal’s jagged, aggressive form. Together, they become a portrait of disconnection, where menace replaces purpose and symbolism replaces substance. The mural quickly drew attention not only for its bold reference to Haring but also for its commentary on how cultural symbols are adopted, distorted, and weaponised on the streets. Protected soon after it appeared, the work remains one of Banksy’s clearest examples of blending art history with contemporary social critique.
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