What does the year of the rabbit represent?
The rabbit is a symbol of intellect and cautiousness. As the lore goes, the rabbit was among the 12 animals who raced to the Jade Emperor in a cosmic contest that ultimately determined the order of the Chinese zodiac signs. Though it was a weak swimmer, the rabbit used its brain, opting to cross the river portion of the course on a raft. What’s more, the rabbit in the Chinese zodiac also speaks to the power of empathy. At one point in the race, the rabbit found itself stuck in the water. The dragon, who was flying overhead, opted to finish behind its woodland friend, blowing a heavy gust of wind to help send the rabbit across the finish line. The act speaks to the importance of both giving and receiving compassion. Likewise, much like the fabled rabbit, the animal,we should look to approach everything in a smart, deliberate way.
Thug For Life Bunny
Originally appearing outside of the Cargo nightclub around 2002 in London’s Rivington Street, Banksy's Thug For Life Bunny was a large-scale street art work that has since been painted over. The piece shows a seemingly friendly-looking cartoon bunny complete with cigar in paw, wearing a gold chain necklace and rings that are typically associated more with hip-hop culture than a hopping rabbit. The t-shirt that the rabbit wears is emblazoned with the phrase “Thug for Life” which subsequently appears on one of the characters in the work Grannies. Typically, the work showcases Banksy’s skill in juxtaposing innocent imagery with more mature concepts, often calling into question the messages that children are receiving from mainstream media and culture. Transforming the notion of a fluffy, friendly rabbit Banksy’s character becomes almost threatening as the t-shirt, cigar and gold chain recall an aggressive, hardened street life.
Armoured Car
The 2002 spray paint on canvas work “”Armoured Car” is a fine example of Banksy’ supreme ability to weave complex narratives into seemingly simple imagery. In the work we see an armoured vehicle, typically associated with the police or armed forces. The photorealistic vehicle is juxtaposed with a cartoonish blue bow that is nearly tied to the front whilst a pair of bunny ears rise from the top. Much like Banksy’s other interpretations of the theme of control and force (Happy Choppers and Flying Copper, for example) Banksy frames the tools of the state as cartoonish and through his subversion of the image renders the once terrifying vehicle a joke.
Tested on Animals
In the summer of 2009 Bristol Museum & Art Gallery was taken over by an extraordinary exhibition of works by the infamous Bristol artist Banksy called Banksy versus Bristol Museum.
Overnight the museum was transformed into a menagerie of Unnatural History – fishfingers swimming in a gold-fish bowl, hot-dogs and chicken nuggets. Paintings were placed in amongst the historic collections of Old Masters, sculptures and other pieces dotted around throughout the museum displays. The main entrance was transformed into a sculpture hall, accompanied by a burnt out ice-cream van that pumped out an eerie sound-track of warped tunes, whilst a giant ice-cream melted on its roof. As part of the museum exhibition, a series of animatronic animals were created in which Banksy addressed our culture’s treatment of animals as commodities. A skinned leopard, with twitching tail, rested upon a barren branched tree whilst elsewhere a moving monkey contemplated a painting it had just completed. The most hard hitting and powerful of the works, in our opinion, was the bunny covered in makeup that blinked and filled their nails in front of a vanity table full of products. The grotesque figure cuts a sorry sight, trapped in a world of superficiality and self-damage. Perhaps a comment on how we should all practise more conscious consumption…
We wish all of our followers and clients a very Happy Lunar New Year. For more information on our Banksy paintings for sale or to buy Banksy prints, contact Andipa via sales@andipa.com or call +44 (0)20 7581 1244. Alternatively, sell your Banksy print with Andipa or find out more about selling Banksy paintings and artworks.