First appearing on a wall in Jerusalem, Flower Thrower depicts a masked protester in the act of hurling not a Molotov cocktail, but a bouquet of flowers. The work transforms an image of aggression into one of peace, turning an act of violence into a gesture of hope and resistance.

Flower Thrower, also known as Love is in the Air, is among Banksy’s most iconic and widely reproduced works. Stencilled originally on a wall in Jerusalem in 2003, it portrays a figure dressed like a street protester or rioter bandana covering his face, body coiled in the familiar pose of someone about to hurl a weapon. Yet instead of a rock or Molotov cocktail, his hand clasps a bouquet of flowers, frozen in mid-flight. 

Over time, Flower Thrower has come to symbolise Banksy’s broader practice: politically charged, instantly recognisable, and deeply rooted in the visual vocabulary of protest. It functions both as a call for peace and a reminder of the absurdity of violence.