The Serpentine edition of Napalm is a special release that coincided with Damien Hirst exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery. As included in "The Darkest Hour There May Be Light". Co-published by the Serpentine Gallery and Other Criteria, London.

In this work, Banksy reimagines the Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph of nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc fleeing a napalm attack during the Vietnam War. The original image, captured by Nick Ut, became one of the most harrowing and unforgettable photographs of the 20th century.

Banksy keeps the central figure of Kim Phuc running in terror, but inserts two instantly recognizable symbols of American consumer culture at her side: Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald. The trio appear to move forward hand in hand, creating a grotesque and deeply unsettling contrast between corporate cheerfulness and human suffering.

The juxtaposition is deliberately jarring. By placing commercial mascots alongside a child burned by napalm, Banksy not only revisits the trauma of the Vietnam War but also gestures toward more recent conflicts, including the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The work suggests that war and consumerism are entangled, and that behind the bright, smiling faces of global brands lies a system driven by profit, often indifferent to the devastation experienced by the most vulnerable.

The piece is also known as Can’t Beat the Feeling, echoing the famous slogan of The Coca-Cola Company—a final, bitter note that underscores the collision of advertising language with the reality of war.