Towards the end of 2002, Banksy was working on the idea of creating his own printing shop that could publish his works without the need of a third party. This store could then service other artists by making their prints too, thereby, ‘circumvent<ing> the centuries-old grip of the established art world’.

The initiative, with the help and collaboration of a collection of artists and graffiti writers, came to pass in 2003 as Pictures on Walls (POW), opened their doors in a small location in East London, near the Cargo Club in Rivington Street, Shoreditch. 

Print making and distribution played an important part in Banksy’s ability to develop his work and artistic expression, while providing a direct platform to build a relationship with his fans. He was able to make his art accessible to all – and this was the same for all contributors at POW who created pieces they could sell from the store. The artists were now in control, without the need to sell their works via a third party gallery.

The initial logo design for the retailer was created by both Banksy and Paul Insect and incorporates a skull and crossbones image where paintbrushes replace the bones. The logo is like a pirate flag, and also is a symbol of resistance against the authority.

In a later iteration of the same logo, the skull is black and has one eye that is a peace sign and the other, a red heart. However, as seen in this initial artwork, an eye-patch covers one eye, and one tooth is missing from the skeletal mouth.

These stickers were not available to buy from the store and were, instead, gifted to customers who purchased a print from the shop or managed to ‘blag’ them from a staff member.

Pictures On Walls stayed open and produced prints from 2003 until 2017, when it was closed due to the artists, ‘unwilling<ness> to become part of the art market <we> once so self-righteously denounced.’

Their own over success was their downfall.