Napalm (2004)

    Nick Ut, a Vietnamese photographer, took a photo of a 9 year old girl during the Vietnam war in 1972.  She suffered from severe burns due to napalm, a weapon used to burn dense forests with jellied gasoline. The contentious image inspired Banksy to create his own rendition of the photo to help spread awareness. I was shocked by these two disturbing images.









Banksy, capitalized on this anti-war sentiment with the two of the largest American brands in fast food and movies.  Much like, that the Americans forced the South Vietnamese to fight, Mickey Mouse and Ronald Mcdonald is  forcing the "Napalm Girl" to move with them (with all smiles and that’s creepy). You can see the two mascots holding the girl.  With her facial expressions, it shows that she don't want to go to wherever they are heading.  This is what I would call “Scary Satire”. While satirical, this image isn’t supposed to be funny, this upfront and graphic artwork reminds people of the horrors of the Vietnam War and associating Mickey Mouse and Ronald Mcdonald with it.  These two characters have been the  pride of America for generations. They’re the American trade mark of success, a multi billion worldwide enterprise.  With Disney known as "the happiest place on earth" and Mcdonald's slogan as "I'm loving it", the artist however, represents the positive facade of America with a darker and eerie purpose.  Banksy paints a different picture of how America's capitalism, consumerism and lack of humanism shape foreign policy. 

Current news about Banksy

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/banksy-stencil-antiques-roadshow-1917473/amp-page



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