First exhibited at the Banksy vs. Bristol Museum show, Devolved Parliament is a striking oil painting that offers an iconic critique of political satire and chaos.

The exhibition was a groundbreaking project where Banksy took over the museum, discreetly placing his works among classical pieces. It attracted over 300,000 visitors, becoming one of the most visited exhibitions globally in 2009.

Originally titled Question Time, Devolved Parliament is a large-scale oil painting by Banksy, measuring 2.5 x 4.2 meters. The artwork depicts the iconic chamber of the UK House of Commons, but instead of MPs, it features chimpanzees—symbolizing irrational and primal behavior—seated as if in a parliamentary session. While Banksy preserves the formal tones of the parliament, the chaotic movements of the chimpanzees disrupt this seriousness.

In 2019, the piece was sold at Sotheby’s auction for approximately $12.2 million. Banksy commented post-sale, “Shame I didn’t still own it.” That same year, re-exhibited around the original “Brexit day,” the painting included modifications such as extinguished lamps symbolizing the parliament’s dysfunction and a downward-facing banana held by a chimp, emphasizing the transience of leaders’ authority. Banksy’s addition of the inscription “Laugh now, but one day no one will be in charge” deepens the artwork’s commentary on political power dynamics.

The chimpanzees in the piece reference Banksy’s earlier work Laugh Now, which bore the inscription “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge,” a theme that continues in Devolved Parliament. The 2019 addition of “Laugh now, but one day no one will be in charge” underscores the transience and chaotic nature of political authority.

Banksy critiques the devolved nature of the political system; while “devolved” refers to the delegation of powers to local governments in the UK, Banksy interprets it as the political system having “degenerated.”