Bomb Hugger, also known as Bomb Love or Bomb Girl, is an early Banksy screenprint. The image of a girl hugging a deadly weapon has become iconic and explores the dichotomy of love and war – a subject the artist has made a number of works about. A similar image first appeared as a mural in East London in 2003 and another appeared in Brighton the same year.
Bomb Hugger features in Banksy’s autobiographical book Wall and Piece published in 2005. At the time 150 signed screenprints were released as a limited edition along with 600 unsigned prints. Originally the screenprint came in one single colourway – fluorescent pink. Over the years Banksy reproduced the image in many different formats, on canvas or on placards on the occasion of anti-war protests.
Banksy’s Bomb Hugger shows a young girl with a ponytail hugging a bomb as if it were a cuddly toy. The bomb, akin to those dropped from military aircraft, is cumbersome in the child’s small arms. The girl herself is stencilled in black and white on a blocked bubblegum pink background, accentuating her diminutive figure and evoking the fragility and innocence of childhood.
The treatment of the child’s figure is reminiscent of other young characters created by Banksy like the famous Girl with Balloon painted in London in 2002 or the Ice Cream Bomb Girl painted on Brighton Beach in 2004.
Check out this really powerful piece of urban street art by artist, Above. Created in Lisbon, Portugal, the image is supposed to resemble a scene in a modern day Robin Hood. “When I was in Lisbon, Portugal three months ago, I would walk by this homeless lady who was begging for money every day. I found it sadly ironic that just six feet away there was an ATM machine where people were literally lining up to withdraw money. With an obvious visual clash of “Rich” and “Poor” being in such a close proximity evoked me to make this stencil “Stealing from the rich, and giving to the poor.” – Above In true Robin Hood fashion, Above sold 250 prints of this piece and donated 100% of the proceeds to homeless shelters. “Each respective homeless shelter stands out because they accept and strive to help those without a home get assistance regardless of RELIGION, RACE, POLITICS or SEXUAL PREFERENCE.” Way to go, Above! Love your work!!!
Giving the poor
above
Graded version of both readings here 1. What were the artists thinking when they created these stencils?
2. Could you think on topics that can be related to artivisim?
3. Please describe a stencil you could create related to artivism.
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Watch the following images. In pair talk about your feelings and what do they inspire you. 15'
Graded version. Write 10-15 answering to the different aspects.
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