Bomb Love

Bomb Love boldly depicts a ponytailed young girl hugging a bomb as though it were a cuddly toy. It’s among Banksy’s most sought-after prints on the market for both signed and unsigned versions. The iconography and message of this print strike as particularly shocking. The bomb, akin to that which one would see dropped from a bomber on 24 hour news coverage, evokes an imposing and sinister effect. The background's colour is a bright, fluorescent pink, which adds to the childlike innocence of the image and serves to accentuate the figure in the foreground.

This artwork is commenting on modern society’s affection for warfare, with bombs that are manufactured by some of our largest employers in the UK and sold by the millions like toys. Banksy is posing a decisive challenge to the press and politicians through this artwork, who portray warfare as an essential part of "democracy", attempting to justify its worthiness as a course of action to promote (or export) freedom, and peace. A more positive interpretation is that that Banksy is suggesting that the forces of love and peace can tame the forces of evil. The artist could be formulating the hope that perhaps through the love of innocent children we may one day achieve peace, akin to the themes we see in Girl With Balloon.