TOP Angebot!

Top Angebot! Acrylic on Canvas, 2025 – Honys Torres

Inspired by Banksy’s iconic work denouncing U.S. complicity in the Vietnam War, Top! Angebot reinterprets that gesture from another angle: the cheerful face of Swiss capitalism. Instead of a terrified child between soldiers, we see Heidi, the symbol of a smiling Switzerland, holding hands with Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald. Together they walk through a landscape of stars, logos, formulas, and slogans like “LOVE LOVE”, “DON’T LOOK BACK”, and “TOP! ANGEBOT”, in a scene saturated with color, consumption, and promises.

The “best offer”—living in Switzerland—is presented as a privilege, but also as a trap. Like any Angebot, it comes with fine print. The image celebrates a moment of harmony between Switzerland and the United States, before trade tensions emerged.

🧭 Chronological context

• March 2023–2024: Switzerland and the U.S. maintain strong bilateral trade, with Swiss exports to the U.S. exceeding $44.6 billion

• July 2025: The U.S. imposes tariffs of up to 39% on Swiss products—the highest among OECD countries

• November 2025: A framework agreement is signed between Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the U.S. to rebalance trade

• Impact: Decline in Swiss exports, pressure on the Swiss franc, and renegotiation of bilateral agreements

The artwork captures the moment just before disillusionment—when Switzerland was still the darling of global capitalism and the U.S. its smiling partner. But as the collage warns—amid cupcakes, Einstein’s formulas, and phrases like “NEVER STOP”—there are no perfect offers. Capitalism also relocates, punishes, and forgets.

Top! Angebot is a visual capsule of that fleeting happiness, a pop irony about the fragility of alliances and the hidden cost of paradise.