On December 16th 2024, British street artist Banksy posted on Instagram an artwork referencing the Madonna and Child, stirring speculation to its meaning. The painting on a metal panel in an unknown location shows the woman’s breast with a rusting hole for a nipple as the baby looks despairingly into his mother’s eyes.
Protest art is a powerful creative expression that catalyses change by addressing political or social issues. By transcending socioeconomic boundaries, art becomes an accessible medium that empowers individuals from all walks of life.
Protest art provides a platform for marginalised communities and individuals who may not have traditional avenues to express their concerns. By visually or symbolically representing their experiences and struggles, artists can capture the attention of a broader audience and initiate conversations about pertinent social and political issues. Through their creations, artists become advocates, giving voice to the voiceless and shining a light on overlooked perspectives.
Art has a unique ability to evoke emotions and challenge societal norms. Protest art disrupts the status quo, forcing viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and question established power structures. By presenting alternative narratives and perspectives, art can spark meaningful dialogue, encourage critical thinking, and foster empathy. This exchange of ideas and viewpoints is vital for societal growth and progress.
Protest art goes beyond raising awareness; it inspires action and motivates individuals to create tangible change. By highlighting social injustices, artists call upon viewers to reflect, empathise, and engage in meaningful action. Art can challenge apathy, ignite passion, and spur individuals to join movements, volunteer, or advocate for policy changes. Through their art, artists become catalysts for transformation.
Through the power of art, individuals provoke thought, foster unity, inspire action, and challenge the existing systems perpetuating inequality. By embracing and supporting protest art, we open doors to a more inclusive society where everyone can be heard, understood, and empowered.
As street artist JR eloquently put it:
“My wish: use art to turn the world inside out.”

"Death of the American Dream", Booda Brand, 2018
Influenced by the “The Death of Marat” (1793) by Jacque Louis David, Death of the American Dream reflects the iconic Uncle Sam as a personification of the U.S. and the moral good it once stood for.
The beacon of freedom and democracy has fallen from grace. The world looks for new leadership.
This is the sign of the times as interpreted by Booda Brand.

"Meat", Joe Webb, 2015
After their 2014 Intervention, the Brandalism project gathered over 80 renowned artists from 19 countries, many of whom were featured at Banksy’s Dismaland Exhibition. It installed more than 600 artworks critiquing the corporate takeover of the COP21 climate talks in advertising spaces across Paris on Black Friday, ahead of the United Nations summit, which began on Monday, November 30th, 2015.
The Brandalism project worked with Parisians to insert unauthorised artworks across the city, placed in advertising spaces owned by JC Decaux – one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising firms and an official sponsor to the COP21 climate talks. The aim was to highlight the links between advertising, consumerism, fossil fuel dependency, politics and climate change.
Joe Elan from Brandalism said: “By sponsoring the climate talks, major polluters such as Air France and GDF-Suez-Engie can promote themselves as part of the solution – when actually they are part of the problem. We are taking their spaces back because we want to challenge the role advertising plays in promoting unsustainable consumerism. Because the advertising industry force feeds our desires for products created from fossil fuels, they are intimately connected to causing climate change. As is the case with the Climate talks and their corporate sponsored events, outdoor advertising ensures that those with the most amount of money are able to ensure that their voices get heard above all else.”
Meat is a critique of the global livestock industry, one of the largest causes of global warming.

"Punk Trump - Orange Neon | Pink Neon", K-GUY, 2016
Ranty? Militant? Angry? Why, those are adjectives that would seem to describe a great many of us in the present, often divisive cultural and political era. K-Guy, however, is not just another in the stream of creatives who found an ‘edgy’ persona amid the emergence of such a polarising figure as US President Donald Trump.
In 2016, K-Guy released his own memorable take on the legendary orange-hued commander-in-chief. His Punk Trump silkscreen prints shows the world’s most famously loose-lipped Twitter user donning a mohawk and badges displaying such slogans as ‘No Future’, ‘Anarchy in the USA’ and ‘I’m a Mess’.

"So Far, So Close", Pejac, 2022
This artwork depicts a bird’s-eye view of a battle in an infinite trench - Pejac's artistic rendition of the absurdity of combat.
‘‘Sometimes perceiving someone as a friend or foe is just a matter of perspective." ~ Pejac

"Cactus - You Can't Rule Me", Rasha Eleyan, 2024
Since 1948, cacti have served as a powerful symbol of resistance for the Palestinian people and artists. Like the resilient, prickly plant itself, it represents the strength of Palestinians to not only survive against all odds but to thrive and resist. “In 2021, UNESCO recognised traditional Palestinian embroidery by adding it to its Cultural Heritage List, a vital step toward safeguarding and raising awareness of this rich cultural legacy.
“Highlighting this achievement remains essential to preserving our Palestinian identity, heritage, and narrative in the face of ongoing attempts by the occupation to erase and appropriate it.” ~ Rasha Eleyan

"Molotov Cocktail Boy + Gun", Russell Young, 2004
British-American Pop artist Russell Young is known for his compelling, larger-than-life silkscreen paintings appropriated from history and popular culture. Like pop artists past and present, Russell reinvents sometimes confronting images as a narrative on social, political and cultural dynamics.

"War by Numbers (Red)", Shepard Fairey, 2007
“Tactics to create a climate of fear are nothing new. LBJ [Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969] escalated U.S. military presence in Vietnam as soon as he took office. The irony is that as we worry about outside threats to our kids, we are creating a culture where it is fine to bomb kids from other countries like Vietnam or Iraq. The Iraqi civilian body count due to U.S. forces is between 56 and 62 thousand. No wonder there isn’t a lot of popular support in Iraq for the American versions of freedom and democracy. I feel just as bad for our troops who are being killed. Now we are mired in a civil war that is terrible for us and them. Try to keep in perspective that for every media image of a disabled U.S. veteran of the war in Iraq, there are 20 Iraqis who are in a similar or worse situation.” ~ Shepard Fairey, 2007 [Source: Obey Giant]
War By Numbers is Shepard Fairey’s reaction to the thought of being a part of a society that cultivates the justification of killing foreign innocent children, and people for that matter, to protect “our” [America] idea of freedom and democracy.
And it just wouldn't be complete without a little religion in the mix...


"Dinner Is Served (Triptych)", Tinker Brothers, 2017
In Dinner Is Served (aka The Last Supper), you come face to face with an array of characters known for having vivid fantasy lives, multiple personas, and an amazing ability to court trouble, yet come out unscathed. Re-imagined with sinister mirth by the Tinker Brothers, recognisable pop icons are pushed to the edge.
'Dinner Is Served' is grimacing with the bold, acerbic wit and mischief of the Tinker Brothers. Read: guns, raining dollar bills and shady deals - while wearing shades. Subverting pop culture characters and throwing them into gangsta-land scenarios, where they look downright laconic, is perverse work. Using recognisable characters in unexpected ways is a vehicle for making some insightful and damning observations about the way we live right now.
Welcome to the no holds barred humour of the Tinker Brothers.
So, the next time you see a mural that makes you pause, a painting that unsettles, or a performance that sparks a fire in your chest—remember, that’s art doing what it does best. Protest art isn’t just decoration; it’s disruption. It’s a call to arms, a mirror to society, and sometimes, a megaphone for the unheard. So go ahead—create, question, challenge. Because in a world that often tries to silence, art insists on speaking.
Until the next one...
Blair & El xoxo