Banksy’s David with Suicide Vest is a provocative sculpture that reimagines Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece David. Cast in stark white, the figure retains the classical contrapposto stance and idealised anatomy of the original, but with disturbing additions: David’s face is half-covered with a bandana, and strapped to his torso is a suicide vest laden with explosives.

By defacing one of Western art’s most celebrated icons, Banksy collapses the distance between high culture and the brutal realities of modern conflict. The work forces viewers to confront uncomfortable questions about heroism, violence, and the way imagery of resistance is shaped and consumed. The sculpture is at once absurd, shocking, and darkly humorous—hallmarks of Banksy’s style.

Presented in the tradition of parody and pastiche, David with Suicide Vest exemplifies Banksy’s ability to weaponise art history itself, turning symbols of beauty and civilisation into tools of critique. In doing so, he underscores how even the most revered cultural icons can be destabilised when filtered through contemporary anxieties of terrorism, surveillance, and political unrest.