Banksy - Exit Through the Gift Shop

In one of my earlier posts, i talked about a UK street artist who goes by the name of Banksy, and i once again have noticed his name in the news. This time, the latest outburst of Banksy fever is over the artists debut movie, 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' which had its world premier at the Sundance film festival this weekend. In the week preceding the festival, Park City Utah experienced a somewhat unusual 'guerilla marketing' campaign, with 'Banksy art' appearing on walls around the town which would host the 2010 festival.

Although Banksy didn't attend the premier personally, (to be fair, he may well have done as noon knows his true identity) his new movie was greeted with cheers and applause, undoubtedly one of the highlights of the festival.

The film follows the UK artist in a humorous, documentory style format, as a french filmmaker attempts to record the secret world of street art, featuring a voice modified narratives from the artist himself. While his identity is not revealed during the movie, it is promised that the audience will gain much more of an insight into the artists world than ever before.

Although there are no promises as of yet, all the major film buyers were at the premier, and i would not be surprised (fingers crossed) if the film made its way onto a screen near you sometime soon.

I for one would definitely like to see this, and will be looking out for its release in the UK....check out the trailer below.

Street Art - Slinkachu's Little People

Whilst looking around the net for my favourite Banksy pictures for my earlier topic, i stumbled upon another street artist who caught my attention. The oddly named 'slinkachu' is another UK-based artist, who has become famous for leaving handmade miniature pieces around the streets of London.

With most of his figurines being less than one inch in hight, it is easy to see how passers by would easily walk straight past Slinkachu's micro-creations without even noticing them; a contributing factor in the inspiration behind his pieces.

"I like the idea that almost nobody sees my work. For all of us intentionally or unintentionally ignore much of what surrounds us in a city"

I really like the idea (albeit a little sad) that thousands of people would have walked past, and even trampled these 'little people' without even being aware of their existence. This to my mind illustrates the idea of how small each of us really are, and that in the end, we will have met and spoken to thousands of people, but it will only be a select few who really notice us and know us for who we really are.

if youre interested in finding out more, check out Slinkachu's blog profile at http://www.blogger.com/profile/05557378337280639928

Street Art - Banksy

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!