So, surfing the internet today, i rediscovered my love of 'Street Art'. A while back i was a little bit obsessed with artists who began using the streets of urban centres as their canvas. In my mind, there is a very fine line between simple Graffiti, and what i would call 'art'.
Talking to my girlfriend over Skype today, i was surprised to hear that she had never heard of a UK street artist called "Banksy". (she lives in Canada though, so i let her off) I developed a bit of a fascination with his works after learning about him from a friend who was studying him for her Dissertation. Now, im not the biggest fan of art per se (being dragged around boring art galleries as a child certainly didn't exactly inspire me!) but just a quick look at a few of his creations, and im sure you'll be able to appreciate how i found an art form that i, an uncultured, working class, student bum could both enjoy, and relate to.
Although many of his works have been dismissed as 'worthless graffiti' and destroyed by London Council, his messages still find their way into the public eye, and as long as a few people see his art, and enjoy it, he is happy. Although the 'guerilla artist's' identity has never been revealed, his artwork has been sold at auction for over £300,000! not bad for a guy who many people would describe simply as a vandal.
Growing beyond simple street art, Banksy has been involved in a number of stunts to push his creations into the public eye. These include among many, the painting of an elephant in LA, placing an inflatable 'Guantanamo Bay detainee' doll on a Disneyland attraction, and my personal favourite, walking into the Louvre and placing a mock Mona Lisa portrait (with a yellow smiley face!) upon the wall next to the original!
As Banksy himself has been quoted saying:
"To actually [have to] go through the process of having a painting selected must be quite boring. It's a lot more fun to go and put your own one up"
.....I don't know about you, but i totally agree with him!!! ha!!
I'd urge anyone who hadn't already heard of Banksy to do a quick Google image search, and have a look at some of his pieces....they really do illustrate the downfalls of our consumerist society, and address many of it's problems and negative effects....plus theyre pretty to look at!!
Good stuff!
