Rolling Back the Wall, Banksy (2005)



Banksy is an anonymous English graffiti artist. His stenciled works can be seen on streets, walls, and bridges around the world. His works usually contain rats, apes, policemen, soldiers, children, and the elderly. His message is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment. Some of Banksy’s most famous works are on the wall separating the countries of Israel and Palestine. The Israelis started building the Israel-Palestine Wall in 2003 to prevent Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel. Many people question if the wall follows international law. Israel obtained the land from Palestine in questionable ways and has destroyed many fertile lands and villages (BBC).  

 In Banksy’s Rolling Back the Wall, Banksy makes a statement about the police. To him, the police are the keepers of reality. This picture depicts a police officer uncovering, essentially, what is on the other side of the Palestine-Israel Wall. By revealing a paradise, Banksy shows the contrast between the harsh policeman and the utopian place on the other side of the wall. He shows that while police are supposed to be protecting us and making the world safer, in reality they are causing chaos and destruction. Also, these police are usually harassing Palestinian people, and in this piece the police are being nice and friendly – showing the people a happy, peacefully place. Banksy is questioning the role of the police, whether they are here to serve and protect us, shaping the way for a better future, or if they are here to shield reality from us and make the world a scary place.