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Issue 6
Who Art Banksy?
Somewhere, I believe it was in Madrid, a man told me “Art has died.” He told me this as we stood next to one another admiring the beautiful frames of the post apocalyptic masterpiece “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by El Bosco (Hieronymus Bosch). I said to him “Sir you are correct art is dead, it died with the likes of Picasso and Dali, this museum will no longer showcase new art, it will always be and forever be a graveyard.”
I wish I wasn’t so naïve, I who proclaims to be an artist of the lost art of letters. Art is not dead it has merely evolved. It has jumped off the canvas and found itself on the streets, on the walls, in the airwaves and on the television.
Today I want to bring up an artist who is famous in bigger cities. He is an icon in London, a vandalist in New York, but an artist at heart.
His real name no one really knows; but he is referred to as Banksy. His face only his family recognizes, he has never been photographed, and only a few interviews have been granted. His work is visible on London streets, on the facades of New York lofts, and on the wall that separates the West Bank from Israel.
This month Banksy opens his biggest art gallery ever, which is odd coming from a man who invades world-class art museums (like Paris’ Louvre) to place his own creations amongst the renowned masterpieces.
Though the exposition, which is held in Banksy’s home town of Bristol England (about 100 miles west of London), is the most commercial Banksy has ever done it was executed in complete Banksy style. Only a handful of staff members were aware -of the great street artist’s show, and it came as a surprise to many when the museum re-opened after three days of closure to find it “vandalized” with street art (Banksy’s pieces were hidden and displayed among the museums regular collection).
“I think we might have dragged them down to our level rather than being elevated to theirs,” Banksy told a CNN reporter on having his exposition held at Bristol Museum.
The show, which is open from June 13 – August 31, garnered over 8,000 visitors its first week. As many visitors try to pick out Banksy from the crowd, the artist will most likely not make an appearance at his own show. Banksy’s anonymity is important for the future of his career due to the illegality of most of his street graffiti.
Though art might not be dead it has greatly evolved. Last year Banksy infiltrated downtown New York to create shop. Banky used robots and animatronics to animate McDonald chicken nuggets to act as real chicks, and other food products to create a virtual pet shop.
Banksy’s art show is sure to be the highlight of the art world this summer. If you can’t get to Bristol this summer do check out our gallery of Banksy’s work at www.pulpandsoda.com.
- José Silva
