Banksy, An Artist For The Times

I'll be honest and tell you I jealous over just about any type of art that is well done, some more than others. Since film is my natural medium it is there I find the most pain so when someone says "Let's go see a movie" I may cringe on the inside because of all my internal issues. I sit through a film and analyze it and ask myself "Could I make that?" Oftentimes, it lessens the fun of a movie for me. But film is not my only sore point.

Another pang high on my list is graffiti. When I say the streets are the last free place I'm not joking. You wanna be part of the system you gotta get that 666 stamp on you and then your soul dies. But street artists are outside the system and that allows a freedom of expression that would get your or my corporate ass sacked in a heartbeat. (Even blogging can be a form of graffiti - how many jealously hide their blogs from their job?) They are out there biting the hand that feeds us (until they stop sharing at all). Takes a lot of guts to live like that.

There's big money in art and the more we try to monetize it the more it slips through our fingers. Witness all the "safe" comic book movies coming out along with tons of other rubbish designed solely for the purpose of popcorn consumption. I like frivolity just as much as the next person but a steady diet of any one thing will make you sick. But there's a freshness to graffiti done well and I love its immediacy and haiku nature. So yes, I can feel threatened by graffiti - that's when I know it's damn good.

I mentioned in a previous post I saw the movie "Exit Through The Gift Shop", a Banksy film about a videographer of street artists who became one himself. Banksy is the world's foremost street artist and though he remains under wraps while speaking in the film (he keeps his identity classified), we do get a good sense of him. First off, let me tell you he is one savvy fellow and very, very clever. He has the kind of cleverness to where he could sell out and still be wildly applauded. That's dangerous for an artist. It becomes tempting to play to the crowd - to be as Moses striking the rock for water - rather than keeping the dedication of honestly answering to one's muse regardless of where it takes you.



Nevertheless, Banksy has done some works of true genius, injecting wit and humor and - importantly to my own heart - social commentary in ways gallery art never could. There's even worth in its being painted over as it shows where our true societal values lie - in art or in conformity. Give me art! Why look at plain boring walls of crap buildings when they could be covered with self expression? Many people consider self-expression dangerous and subversive but the reality is conformity is the true subversion, like a boiling pot allowed to let out no steam. It can only end in disaster.

Banksy is smart enough to not let himself be defined and let our imaginations fill in the holes. Here's part of the Wiki on him:

Banksy started as a freehand graffiti artist 1992–1994 as one of Bristol's DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ), with Kato and Tes. He was inspired by local artists and his work was part of the larger Bristol underground scene. From the start he used stencils as elements of his freehand pieces, too. By 2000 he had turned to the art of stencilling after realising how much less time it took to complete a piece. He claims he changed to stencilling whilst he was hiding from the police under a train carriage, when he noticed the stencilled serial number and by employing this technique, he soon became more widely noticed for his art around Bristol and London.

Banksy's stencils feature striking and humorous images occasionally combined with slogans. The message is usually anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment. Subjects often include rats, monkeys, policemen, soldiers, children, and the elderly.

Per wiki: Naked Man image by Banksy,
on the wall of a sexual health clinic in Park Street, Bristol.
Following popular support,
the City Council have decided it will be allowed to remain

I can certainly understand the guerrilla nature of this kind of art I have to admit it greatly appeals to me though I couldn't stand the thought of having my moment of inspired genius wiped away by a city worker drone the next day. During the Era of Open Evil (2001-2008) I was very frustrated with merely blogging and I wanted to shout out to the heavens. That's when I came across the Freeway Blogger who placed signs along the highway and inspired others to do so as well - including me. Below is the sign I hung on I-30 and it lasted less than 36 hours.



It was somewhat satisfying seeing my sign stuffed down the throat of redneck commuters stuck in rush hour traffic (though I suspect the sarcasm was lost on many as I even later heard that loser prick P. J. O'Rourke use that phrase in earnest for war support) but it took a lot of time and energy so that was it for me and I went back to digital writing. But I understand some of the satisfaction Banksy must have felt at some of his more high profile statement stunts - things I seriously wish I'd authored! Here's some samples below:

When the deluded Israelis erected their idiotic West bank wall, that became prime hunting ground for Banksy where he inflicted nine images upon it. Two of my faves:





In 2004, Banksy hung his own artwork in the Louvre: a small hand painted copy of the Mona Lisa only with a yellow smiley face. (Couldn't find an image) He repeated this stunt at several other major museums around the world.

Some are just funny:





And some make great statements:





Also from Wiki:

Asked about his technique, Banksy said:

“I use whatever it takes. Sometimes that just means drawing a moustache on a girl's face on some billboard, sometimes that means sweating for days over an intricate drawing. Efficiency is the key.”

Stencils are traditionally hand drawn or printed onto sheets of acetate or card, before being cut out by hand. Because of the secretive nature of Banksy's work and identity, it is uncertain what techniques he uses to generate the images in his stencils, though it is assumed he uses computers for some images due to the photocopy nature of much of his work.

He mentions in his book, Wall and Piece, that as he was starting to do graffiti, he was always too slow and was either caught or could never finish the art in the one sitting. So he devised a series of intricate stencils to minimize time and overlapping of the colour.

Now, were I a proper blogger, I'd of read Banksy's book to give you a better idea of what goes on in his head before posting. His book, however, is on my list and if I find I have more to say I'll say it. Street artists have their own little community like so many art forms and the best thing about that of course is that it's a meritocracy. Who knows, maybe I'll once more dip my toe in the waters of street art. It suits my ad hoc nature and its unique nature of self-expression is one that gives a certain satisfaction like no other.

Be sure to read the Wiki for a more comprehensive list of Banksy stunts and imagery. I'm just scratching the surface here!

News story on the Israeli wall

Gallery of images