The Philosophy Behind Banksy’s Art

A prime example of Banksy’s philosophical engagement is his 2023 piece in Marseille, which depicts a lighthouse casting the shadow of a corroded barrier. Underneath is the inscription: “I want to be what you saw in me.” The image transforms Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. In Plato's metaphor, shadows on a wall represent false realities, seen by prisoners chained inside the cave. Banksy’s version turns the metaphor on its head: the shadow becomes the aspiration, the dream, perhaps even the truest self. The viewer is asked: Is our identity shaped by what we are, or by what others believe we could be?