About Flag

In Flag, a group of children and young adults stands atop a charred-out car, hoisting the American flag. Depicted as disenfranchised urban youths, the central figures strike the viewer with a sense of melancholy. Some may see these children as representative of faith and ambition – the youth continuing to pursue the American Dream in the face of adversity, violence and injustice. Others might see the young people as linked to the problem of the US’ exorbitant spending on militarisation.

Broader context

Symbolising both the future and the gravity of sociopolitical issues under examination, children represent a recurring motif in Banksy’s art. The artwork references Joe Rosenthal’s iconic World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima portraying US Marines raising two American flags on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a legendary image that won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year of its publication. Inserting images of disenfranchised youth in the place of US Marines, Banksy urges the viewer to look critically at the foundations of the American dream.

What’s unique about Flag

This unique limited edition screen print is available in two distinct colours: silver and gold. The silver print has stirred a particular market demand as it constitutes a limited edition of 1000 prints, released during Banksy’s iconic Santa’s Ghetto exhibition on Oxford Street in London in 2006.