About Flying Copper

In Flying Copper, instead of the human face, a yellow dot appears underneath the policeman’s helmet, evoking the iconic symbol of 1990s rave culture. The tension between the smiling face and threatening presence of the assault rifles creates a striking image of oppression as something that lurks behind a fake appearance of the individuals in power.

Broader context

The figure of a copper with a smiling dot-shaped face first appeared on Banksy’s cut-out paintings suspended on cardboard from the ceiling at Turf War, the artist’s first major exhibition in a Dalston warehouse in 2003. A smiling yellow face featured frequently in designs promoting the underground acid house scene that flourished in the north of England at the turn of the century. Its presence in this work and many others including Riot Copper (2002), Flying Copper (2003), and Smiling Copper (2003) exemplifies one of many subversive gestures through which the artist satirises contemporary notions of authority, power, and discipline.

What’s unique about Flying Copper

The figure of the policeman remains key for Banksy’s dialogue with the issues of power and violence. Although in the iconic Flying Copper series, policemen aren’t engaged in any specific action and appear rather static, the line between peace-keeping and oppression remains blurred.