A Street Artist named Banksy

Prior studying at Sotheby’s, street art was a genre that neither interested me nor caught my attention during my never-ending walks and travels. I saw it as a waste of time for an artist to paint on public property and have the work tarnished on the long run. Why would a respectable artist have chosen the streets as his canvas?

This thought came to an end during a session of my “Contemporary Art in London” class when we embarked on the journey in the life of Banksy.

Who is Banksy?

Well to be quite honest, I don't know per say but here is what I can tell you.

He is arguably the most controversial street artist of the world. Love him or hate him, you cannot ignore & be in awe of his artwork and political statements. His identity remains anonymous and to be fair who cares what he looks like? No one cared what Picasso, Rembrandt and Turner looked like. People paid attention to their art and remembered selective pieces and signature genre of each one. It is today’s publicity machine that is working towards uncovering his identity for the mere pleasure of click baits on articles giving them relevancy.

ART SHOULD MATTER ONLY.

Banksy began his career in Bristol, England being inspired by the works of “Blek Le Rat”, his graffiti art popping along the murals of his hometown.

He moved to London where exposure to his art increased and gained massive popularity. His most common form of street art is stencilling which is the form of multi layered stencils and often combined with other form of media sources. He also includes existing street signs into his work creating an installation art into his graffiti. His message is satirical and embodies the political, social disturbances of his time.

You can say that dark humor is his forte as he fights for the underdog.

Many, if not all his artwork, stirs the viewer into thinking about the unfair occurrences in the world.

Did you hear of the famous 2018 auction sale of his famous “Girl with balloon” that ended being shredded once the gavel hit the podium? The GBP 1.04 million artwork was given a new name “Love is in a Bin” and increased in value, to the surprise of the Art World. Poetic Justice much?!

Banksy was determined that his art work is not to be sold in auction nor be bought by private buyers. He always believed that his art’s audience is the world and should remain so.

Conspiracy theorists believe he was the private buyer and that he pulled this stunt to increase the value of his work. If we were to listen to all the conspiracy theorists we would not reach a conclusion.

Love is In the Bin. 2018

The famous Auctioned piece by Banksy.

On another note, I believe that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has moved the artist to sympathize with the Palestinians. In 2017, he founded “The Walled Off Hotel” in the West Bank, bringing a somber Christmas spirit to Bethlehem. Originally the hotel was supposed to be an installation art, including provocative Banksy pieces giving a taste of the Palestinian life in the shadow of Israeli shadow. Now it is a fully functioned hotel. He further painted 9 pieces along the wall separating Palestine from Israel. His art along side the barrier dividing the Palestinians from the Jewish state is the ultimate holiday destination for graffiti artists. Those murals depict the state of the Palestinians living in the occupied territories. They are provocative without being polemical. In his own words, he says that the wall “essentially turns Palestine into the world’s largest open prison”.

Another famous installation art is “Dismaland” set in Somerset, England in 2015 that portrays an apocalyptic theme park version of Disneyland. It reflects on anti-consumerism, celebrity culture, immigration and law enforcement. His art is immersed within other artist’s work. You can immerse in the park’s vibe by trying to interact with morose employees who are unhelpful and careless and of course you exit through the gift shop. The latter being a concept that Banksy has been a loud critic of in museums.