Napalm, Banksy

This print is of two American pop culture icons (Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald) and a girl, seemingly being kidnapped by the two characters.

The image of the girl has been taken from a famous photograph of the Vietnam War (June 8, 1972). The girl is Kim Phuc, a 9 year old girl who was running away from her home after it was attacked by a Napalm blast. The photographer Nick Ut captured this moment and presented it for the world to see what was really going on.

Banksy appropriated this photograph to use it in a contemporary context. There is no confirmation on why he chose to put the two main faces of American pop-culture holding the hands of a young girl in pain. One reason could be that they are making a comment on the way that people view Americans, their cultures and visa-versa. This could be how large companies produce products and don’t seem to care about the effects on people in either their country or other countries.

The original print is very large and is mostly monochromatic. The size that the two characters are makes them seem arrogant, especially with their smiles. This is a contrast with the obvious pain that the girl is in, she is screaming and trying to get away. The way that the piece has been kept in black and white could be showing the origin of the photo. It also adds drama to the piece with the high contrast.

Overall this piece has a strong political context, whether it is trying to show America’s society or just trying to bring back this image from the Napalm blast to remind people.