Banksy - The Mild Mild West
Gemini said The Mild Mild West: Bristol’s Legendary Teddy Mural
Located in the heart of Bristol’s Stokes Croft neighborhood, The Mild Mild West is one of Banksy’s most famous early murals, painted back in 1999.
The artwork features a deceptively cuddly teddy bear poised to hurl a Molotov cocktail at a line of three riot police officers.
It was created as a defiant response to the aggressive police crackdowns on the city’s legendary unlicensed warehouse raves during the late 1990s.
For locals, the piece has become a symbol of the Bristolian spirit: famously laid-back and "fluffy," yet fiercely ready to fight back when provoked.
In a classic display of hidden-in-plain-sight bravado, Banksy reportedly painted the entire piece in broad daylight over the course of three days.
