Visual Culture: Image and Identity Kissing Coppers, 2004), Brighton, England

Kissing Coppers 2004 Brighton England

Visual Culture: Image and Identity (Kissing Coppers 2004 Brighton England)

Visual Culture: Image and Identity (Kissing Coppers 2004 Brighton England)

This work is a black and white stencil depicting two uniformed British policemen in each other’s embrace, kissing. Although there was a visible LGBT community in 2004, the time that this work was made, it was not as accepted as it is now. By depicting a homosexual act in public artwork, Banksy addressed this social issue. Also, the work was located in Brighton, which was considered the LGBT Capital of the UK (“Kissing Coppers, 2004”). The humor of the work comes from who is seen in the image. Banksy uses police officers, figures of authority and law in a context they usually wouldn’t be found in. The act of kissing is vulnerable and juxtaposes the powerful positions they have in society. Furthermore, their homosexuality would make them part of a marginalized community of which wasn’t fully decriminalized at the time (Brancusi).

Working off the definition provided in the reading Street Art or Graffiti? Banksy is a street artist because his work is meant to be viewed and interpreted by the general public. He makes art that addresses a current social or political issue and intends for the audience to engage meaningfully with what it suggests. Additionally, the term “vandal” is usually meant to refer to “graffiti writers” or “taggers”. According to Lewisohn, a tagger is more interested in communicating with others within a certain community and uses coded tags to do so. A major indicator of this is the use of typography which Banksy’s art usually lacks. 

The work first sat on the side of the Prince Albert Pub in Brighton, England but was taken down by the owner of the pub and replaced with a copy in 2008. The original was later sold to a private buyer in 2014 (“Kissing Coppers, 2004”). I believe that the owners were within their rights to remove the work from their property, I don’t think it was appropriate for it to then be sold by them as it wasn’t produced by them. The location of the original work provided a lot of context of the piece as well, so moving it would take away a lot of that original meaning. Just as public art is meant to be seen by many people, so is public graffiti. In both cases, transferring it to the private sphere means it loses the purpose intended by the artist.

Works Cited

https://banksyexplained.com/kissing-coppers-2004/

Brancusi, Constantin. “Kissing Coppers, 2005.” Banksy Explained, https://banksyexplained.com/kissing-coppers-2005/. Accessed 13 July 2024.

“Kissing Coppers, 2004.” Banksy Explained, 4 May 2021, https://banksyexplained.com/kissing-coppers-2004/. Accessed 13 July 2024.

Lewisohn, C., (2008). Introduction: Street art or graffiti. In Street art: The graffiti revolution (1st ed.). England: Tate