Banksy is the most famous street artist in the world. His paintings on city walls are reproduced and sold at various auctions for as high as several million dollars.
Banksy paints in public spaces such as streets.
He leaves his work at the site of major social issues of the time, and has produced stencil works about conflicts. He is famous for the uproar that erupts each time one of his works is "discovered.
In this issue, we will introduce Banksy, including how he was accepted in Japan.
The Shredding Incident that made Banksy famous in Japan
How the incident happened
On October 15, 2018, Banksy once again captured the world's attention to a point.
It was his own work, "Girl with Balloon," which was shredded into long, thin strips.
It was a print that was auctioned by the world-renowned auctioneer Sotheby's in London on October 15. When "Girl with Balloon" appeared on the auction block, it soared to a final bid of 1,042,000 pounds (approximately 150 million yen), reflecting the popularity of Banksy's work. The final bid was 1,042,000 pounds (about 150 million yen), which was the second highest bid for Banksy (at the time).
However, the moment the winning bid was decided, an alarm sounded in the hall, and the shredder that had been pre-installed in the frame started to shred the work.
The shredded works were carried out of the venue by the staff members concerned, while the venue was in an uproar.
Impact of the Shredding Incident
Why did Banksy shred his works?
It is said that it was a criticism of the auction business, where money is piled up only for speculation.
In fact, this is not the first time Banksy has criticized auctions.
At the "Barely Legal" exhibition held in Los Angeles in 2006, he sold a limited edition of 100 prints featuring the auction room.
On it, he wrote the message, "I can't believe that there are fools like you who actually buy these trash pieces.
The shredding incident was an act of terrorism against the auction business, but after the incident, Sotheby's advertised that the shredded work was "the first work ever produced live during an auction," and the winning bidder paid the winning price to purchase it.
In the end, the criticism itself was incorporated into the auction business, and despite Banksy's own intentions, led to an increase in the market value of the work.
Further Implications of Market Criticism
Banksy's ongoing sensational works are based on his scathing criticism of the market, which has the power to deny the very system of capitalism on which our economy is based.
Banksy's representative works are
Napalm (2004)
This work is based on photographs taken by Nick Utt (Phin Cong Ut), a renowned Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer who documented the Vietnam War.
The original Utt photographs show the shocking sight of a 9-year-old girl fleeing carpet bombing by the U.S. military.
The composition is based on a cutout of the girl alone, with two representative American characters holding her wrists with a skittering air.
The irony of the strong contrasts in America is striking. How can shades of this country perceive itself? And how is it perceived by other cultures?
Are the two characters who sandwich and guide the girl really guiding her to help her out?
Are they leading the girl toward the end of her life?
Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower) (2003)
Love is in the Air", a huge stencil work (a method of painting images by spraying them from a pre-made mold), was exhibited shortly after the construction of the Separation Wall in the West Bank, Israel.
This huge work was painted on this long, long wall in Bethlehem, which Banksy says "made Palestine the largest open-air prison in the world.
A man holds a bouquet of flowers and is about to throw them, as if he were about to hurl a grenade at his adversary. While admonishing the senselessness of conflict, Banksy's loving thoughts are conveyed.
(iii) Basquiat's "stopped-and-frisked," Barbican Center (2017)
Basquiat rarely brings references from modern and contemporary art, and this piece is among those rarities.
There is a black figure with visible bones and a dog in Basquiat's work, said to be Basquiat himself.
The body is being interrogated by two police officers carrying guns.
This figure ironically depicts the way police treat graffiti artists when dealing with them.
What is more ironic than anything else is the fact that Banksy himself was able to paint the graffiti and escape without being caught by the police.
4) Love is in the Bin (2019)
This title was given to "Girl with Balloon," which was shredded and shredded.
The performance, originally Okinawan in order to criticize the market, ended up reinforcing the authority of the artist Banksy.
Although it has already been deleted, Banksy's Instagram post explaining how the shredder works was also uploaded.
(5) Devolved Parliament, 2009
This is an oil on canvas. It ironically depicts a member of the British Parliament debating in the British Parliament by replacing him with a chimpanzee.
This work echoes another work on chimpanzees, Laugh Now, 2002.
(6) Kissing Coppers, 2004
Two policemen passionately kissing each other in Banksy's familiar black and white stencil technique.
In Banksy's work, the location of the painting is as important as the content of the painting. This piece was painted in Brighton, England.
Brighton is a well-known LGBTQ+ center, with 11 - 15% of the city's residents reported to be homosexual or bisexual.
Brighton's foresight on sexuality dates back to the Napoleonic Wars of 1803. The art is very familiar by being painted in this city.
(7) Bomb Hugger, 2003
There are two things that Banksy was trying to make a statement about in this work.
The first was the necessity and tolerance of war created by the media. By lovingly holding the bomb, the girl realizes that her benevolent love for the media-created conflict itself is distorted.
The fragility of the situation is further emphasized by the dangerous fact that a being as fragile as the girl is exposed to a bomb that could blow up her life if dropped on her.
8) The Son of a Migrant from Syria, 2015
This mural depicts Steve Jobs, a former founding member of Apple Inc. who gained worldwide charisma and popularity. The mural was installed in Calais, whose city was a transit point on the way from France to England.
The Jobs family were immigrants from Syria,
⑩One Nation Under CCTV, 2007
Painted on the wall in front of the Royal Mail CCTV camera, this work shows a young boy painting a message while being watched by a police officer and a dog.
What is so great about Banksy?
Banksy's anti-establishment nature
The greatest appeal of his works is the rebellious spirit that always resists the system and authority, and the humor that can be found in his expression. His works are on a different level from conventional art works, both in the environment in which they are placed and in the meaning that this environment has for the works themselves. His activities can always be seen as part of a social discourse.
He has never been "art for art's sake," and he has consistently tried to provoke the libertarian side of many people's hearts.
However, considering the fact that Banksy's works were also sold as is for a high price during the shredding incident that brought him to national prominence, it can be said that, on the contrary, all of his works are perceived as consumer items.
Banksy's activities are inherently difficult to be thoroughly understood by the public.
For example, almost none of Banksy's exhibitions are authorized by Banksy himself.
It may be some time before Banksy's true message and method of expression are truly conveyed to the viewer.
Also read
Banksy's works and secrets explained! Street Art
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