I'm smitten: Street Art by Banksy

I’m smitten: Street Art by Banksy

My friends know I love street art.

Graffiti is totally another medium for modern art. But of all the current artists, UK-based Banksy is the stand-out revolutionary. I’ve been watching him for a few years, and I’m still impressed. Even though his work is famous, his identity remains a mystery - he refuses to reveal his real name or face. He’s gotta be the most famous anonymous person alive today.

He used to sign his work, but now his style is so recognizable he doesn’t even need to.

He’s genius, because he often plays off of existing graffiti in a space, to make it work in a new way…

Sometimes he even incorporates nature, or other pieces of signage or infrastructure…

The real reason he rocks though, is the apt social & political commentary in his work… I find his work just as witty, creative and heartbreaking as any “museum approved” art. He strives in a non-violent way, to make you stop & think…

“A wall is a very big weapon. It’s one of the nastiest things you can hit someone with.”
— Banksy (Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall)

(If he were caught painting the one above, on the Israeli-West Bank border, he likely would’ve been shot.)

His messages are often anti-war, anti-discrimination, anti-consumerism, and pro-animal rights, and environmental consciousness…

“I need someone to protect me from all the measures they take in order to protect me. ”
— Banksy

…And of course, pro-graffiti.

“Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing.
And even if you don’t come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can
make someone smile while they’re having a piss.”
— Banksy (Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall)

My personal favorites are this funny Star Wars one, below:

And…

this one above, found in New Orleans. It moved me when I first saw it. I can’t put into words exactly why it resonates with me, I just find it particularly poignant.

Seriously, though, the fact that Banksy has to complete these pieces in such a fast & stealthy manner, to avoid getting arrested, makes me appreciate their artfulness all the more. It’s next level shit - part art, part adventure. I can see why it’d be fun to do. He’ll make you laugh, and he’ll make you want to cry, but he always, always makes a point.

“Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place.”
— Banksy (Wall and Piece)

He’s an artist cleverly making use of free speech, with a new vocabulary, in a new venue - and how can you not admire that? The best part is, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Banksy seems to do it all with a sense of humour, with tongue placed firmly in cheek.

To see more pics, check out his retrospective books, ‘Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall’ and ‘Wall and Piece’, or his movie ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’, where he satirizes his own fame, street art, and the whole “art as commodity” scene in general. It’s not to be taken too seriously.