Laugh Now is one of Banksy’s most iconic works, using monkeys as symbols of oppression and resilience. The image shows an ape wearing a sandwich board that reads: “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge.” By drawing on humanity’s evolutionary origins, Banksy transforms the figure into a critique of power dynamics, marginalisation, and the treatment of animals as both zoo exhibits and laboratory subjects.

The work also resonates with popular culture, recalling Planet of the Apes as a generational reference point. First created in 2003 as a commissioned mural for the Ocean Rooms nightclub in Brighton, the original piece featured ten stencilled monkeys repeated across a red background. It has since become one of Banksy’s most widely recognised and reproduced images.