Banksy’s girl with balloon and how it is saving refugees

The street art phenomenon Banksy (who’s identity is currently unknown) has received large critical acclaim for his socially aware messages and themes. On this article I will discuss how he is able to raise awareness of the mediterranean refugee crisis through his art.

On August 29th 2020, street artist Banksy created “Girl with Balloon in Rescue Boat”, a re-iteration of his previous ‘Girl with Balloon’ work on the Louise Michel rescue boat, used to find refugees crossing the Mediterranean to escape war zones and oppressive regimes.

Hope can be conveyed to an audience by presenting positive change. Vivid movement underpins a solution to the deadly refugee catastrophy. The image depicts a child wearing a life jacket and a dress, holding the rope of a lifebuoy. Movement is present as the girl’s hair and dress are depicted as being blown from left to right. This element also explains how she is catching the lifebuoy as it too is being pushed to the right by the wind. In this image, the girl is used as a symbol for all refugees, and in turn, the buoy is a known symbol of life and rescue. Therefore, the movement of the wind in the text symbolizes the refugee’s safely migrating to Europe, thus establishing hope.

The goal of the rescue mission of giving the immigrants a new prosperous life demonstrated through color in order to reinforce the message of hope. The girl is painted in black and white, while the buoy is painted in the shape of a heart, in a bright pink color. The artificial and dull color of the girl creates a strong contrast with the lively color of the rescue object. The powerful juxtaposition of the two highlights the context of the work. The artwork is painted in a rescue boat that finds hungry, lifeless refugees and saves them by safely reaching land. From there, these people start a life that is humane and prosperous. The use of color reinforces hope for the refugees and their future.

Although the refugee crisis is aided by the rescue team of the Louise Michel boat, the problem exceeds the capabilities of this individual ship. By using balance, Banksy recognizes this. The infant is found on the bottom-left quadrant of the text, and the buoy is found on the top-right quadrant. This distance between the two is how Banksy informs his audience that there is a lot to be done for the Mediterranean issue to be solved. Therefore subtle composition emphasizes the need for the audience to help combat the problem of the refugees.

The text conveys the positive change of the Louise Michel rescue boat’s mission. The artwork alarms the audience of the problem and it’s urgency, and it creates hope for the Mediterranean crisis to be solved. Banksy is known for using his art as a catalyst for change. The color, balance and movement of the girl and the buoy convey a powerful message of hope for the refugee issue.

From this we learn that Banksy uses visual techniques to tell the audience about an important message and why it must be changed.