This is a hand pulled, limited edition screen print of a spray-paint and stencil by Pablo.
Banksy’s CND Soldiers depicts two soldiers, crouching on the ground and scouting the landscape around them. One is holding a machine gun, the other a paintbrush with which he is in the process of painting a red peace sign. The peace sign originally symbolised the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) of 1957 and is now widely known as an international symbol of peace. The satirical juxtaposition of armed soldiers alongside the iconic peace sign questions the role and impact of military in keeping the peace. The peace sign, painted in dripping red evokes the bloodshed of war. The soldiers, who act on behalf of the government, are now represented as activists and vandals, graffitiing the wall in protest.
This striking visual first appeared outside the Houses of Parliament in London during an anti-war protest led by Brian Haw, an English peace campaigner who lived for a decade in the Westminster peace camp. At the time the UK’s involvement in the 2003 Iraq war had been brought to light, and the fact that millions of people, including soldiers, protested against the invasion was reportedly ignored.
Pablo’s version, ‘Soldiers for Peace’, has some small differences much like the small changes made by government and the media around war propaganda today. Do you feel more or less free than you did in 2003?
(w) 42cm x (h) 59.4cm
media: Screen Print
About the artist
Pablo was known to be active street artist in Paris between 2014 & 2016. It’s understood he lived in Bastille in the 11th district, which happened to be very close to a number of Banksy works; which started appearing around the same time.
While it's unknown who Banksy is, or how many are part of the Banksy group. Speculation is he an old friend of the street artist, or even the artist himself.
It’s understood Pablo left Paris by order of his mother, after the terrorist attacks
and a shooting outside his apartment building.
He spent the next few years living in London, before his work started
appearing in 2018 around the East of England and Norfolk coast.