New Banksy Work Appears. Vandalism, Statement, or Art?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:54:55 -0800

A new work by artist Banksy appeared on a wall today in London. The mural shows a child raising a plastic shopping bag as a flag. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he will have to force retailers to reduce the use of plastic bags if they do not take action voluntarily.Banksy is a pseudonym for a well-known British graffiti artist. He is known for his beautifully detailed, unauthorized works, which usually include a deeper social message. One work, painted on the Palestinian side of the wall surrounding the West Bank, shows a trompe l'oeil image of a hole broken through the wall and a little boy on the other side. In his manifesto, Banksy points to a graffiti campaign waged in 1974 against the wrongful imprisonment of a man named George Davis. The omnipresent tags reading "G. Davis Is Innocent" brought the matter to the attention of the Home Secretary, who re-examined the case, ultimately leading to Davis's release. Though his work as an artist isn't entirely legal, his talent has inspired fans, like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, to spend $2 million on his work. My question is this: Just because it's well-done and created with a higher purpose, is that enough to elevate Banksy's work from common vandalism? At what point does art eclipse illegality? How would you classify his work?Source

Vandalism. It might look nice, but any unauthorized tagging is illegal.

Statement. It's a revolutionary act. Putting the images in public elevates the discourse.

Art. Where it occurs is irrelevant. The meaning is in the skillful execution.

A combination. I'll nail it down in the comments.

Other. Perhaps none of the above. Let me tell you. . . .

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New Banksy Work Appears. Vandalism, Statement, or Art?