Graffiti: Why Banksy Still Rules
posted on 3 January 2011 | posted in
Arts and Entertainment
A rule of thumb with artists and musicians is to avoid reading interviews with them. Banksy, one of the world's most famous graffiti artists, makes that easy. Famously reclusive, the British artist and wall-painter, Banksy represents a recent trend towards graffiti as mainstream art. A paint job from the right graffiti artist can now add thousands to the value of your home or wall. In his home-town of Bristol, a Banksy mural created civic outrage recently. Not through it's shocking content or the fact that it was painted on a wall without permission, but because the city council's anti-graffiti squad rather foolishly had it painted over. A supportive public were outraged, resulting in endless "but is it art?" discussions in the local paper and discussion boards. In this, the evolution of grafffiti has followed punk music into a rather awkward, mainstream existence. Just as it's hard for punk noise to shock as it did in the 1970s, it is hard now for graffiti art to be experienced today as it was in the days before Banksy and co became major artists. Which begs the question: how will the next generation of artists shock us?
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