Birds on a Wire

Banksy’s arts and paintings are renowned for criticizing problems in our society. This mural painting “Birds on a Wire” represents problems about racism and inclusivity.

The painting depicted a group of black pigeons holding anti-immigration banners and protesting about a different bird coming into their territory. The pigeons symbolize the citizens in a particular country, and the bird symbolizes a foreigner who has different features. While a herd of pigeons formed their own group, the exotic bird is alone. Banksy coloured the bird with somber green and black to express the bird’s loneliness.

The pigeons are located at the smooth side of the wall while the bird is at the rough side of the wall. The position of the bird and pigeons puts a boundary between their residence. Moreover, the bird’s body is facing the opposite side of the pigeons, but its face is looking at the pigeon hesitatingly. This gesture shows that the bird tried to move to a peaceful and safe place from a difficult condition but got rejected by the pigeons. Immigrants from the other countries often face discrimination like the above situations.

One of the greatest examples of this mural painting is Asian hate. The Asian hate increased rapidly after the Covid outbreak. Vandals repeatedly defaced statues and buildings in Vancouver’s Chinatown with racist graffiti. Additionally, physical and verbal attacks against Asians occurred frequently around the world. Like the banners that the pigeons are holding from the painting, people verbally attacked the Chinese by telling them to go back to their country.

In conclusion, our society needs to improve inclusivity about the human rights, racial problems, and social equality.