Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Box Set
Work Summary & Collector Notes
A black-and-white giclee depicting a concrete West Bank military watchtower repurposed as a carousel swing-ride: children in harnessed seats swing outward on chains anchored to the tower's top, soaring joyfully around the surveillance structure. The print is mounted in a white frame and set into a textured base of cast concrete rubble with a red paint smear, sold as part of Banksy's "Box Set" souvenir from his Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem. It is among the most recognizable images Banksy produced around his 2017 Palestine project.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 23. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
The image collapses menace and innocence into a single frame: a fortified watchtower built for occupation and control becomes a children's fairground ride, the chains of a swing standing in for the chains of surveillance. It is Banksy's signature move of weaponizing whimsy, using play to indict the apparatus of the Israeli-Palestinian separation barrier. As the defining graphic of the Walled Off Hotel, it turned a tourist souvenir into a piece of political messaging, distributing the artist's critique of occupation through the gift-shop economy he has long both mocked and exploited.
Collector Perspective
The standard Walled Off Hotel "Box Set" is an open, low-cost souvenir produced in large numbers and is among the most accessible Banksy-associated objects on the market. Provenance from the Walled Off Hotel and intact original packaging materially affect value.
Historical Context
Banksy opened the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem in March 2017, directly against the Israeli West Bank separation wall, billing it as the hotel "with the worst view in the world." The watchtower-as-swing-ride image became the emblem of the project, sold in the on-site shop as a boxed assemblage incorporating a cast-concrete fragment evoking the wall itself. It sits within Banksy's long engagement with Palestine, following his 2005 stencils on the barrier and his Santa's Ghetto interventions, and belongs firmly to his Protest and Subversion register during the Contemporary Era.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print
- Release date
- 2017
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Giclee.
- Edition details
- Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 23.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Banksy's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: Banksy opened the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem in March 2017, directly against the Israeli West Bank separation wall, billing it as the hotel "with the worst view in the world." The watchtower-as-swing-ride image became the emblem of the project, sold in the on-site shop as a boxed assemblage incorporating a cast-concrete fragment evoking the wall itself. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2017.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to the release source named in the saved record. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Banksy — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Banksy (Q133600) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A West Bank military watchtower turned into a fairground swing-ride, with children in harnessed seats swinging outward on chains from the top of the surveillance tower. The piece is mounted in a white frame set into a cast-concrete rubble base with a red paint smear.
What is the edition size?
This entry is catalogued at an edition of 23. Note that the standard Walled Off Hotel Box Set was an open, unnumbered souvenir; a tightly numbered edition of 23 would indicate a special or signed variant, so confirm the exact format before purchase.
Is it signed?
The format is not stated as signed in the title. The common souvenir version was unsigned.
What medium is it?
Giclee print, produced in 2017, mounted within a boxed assemblage that includes a cast-concrete element referencing the separation wall.
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is the anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark humour, and anti-war, anti-establishment imagery. The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem was one of his major project-based works.
