Art News Blog
Friday, July 06, 2007
  Banksy Mania
Hansel & Gretel with Michael JacksonJonathon Jones of the Guardian has wrote a piece on the hottest artist in Britain at the moment.

Best of British?
"Banksy is a comic artist, as opposed to the tragedians who try to impress with their sublimity. He doesn't take himself or his rats seriously. Not even the ones who are trying to blow up parliament. They crouch low behind the cover of the wall of the South Bank walkway, preparing to fire a mortar shell over the Thames at the House of Commons. The image is one of Banksy's most effective. You contemplate the little rat warriors and giggle, but of course there's a wan political pessimism to the joke. Banksy's rats are about to fire at parliament, but they're not real terrorists. They are mere painted rats, cartoon animals. There's not really any chance of the dispossessed - which is what Banksy says his rats symbolize - mortaring the Houses of Parliament. " Guardian

I really like the work of Banksy, but I can't help thinking he's a phase that we are going through. Like a fad, a trend, or a song that dates very quickly. I'm not tired of him yet though, so for now I can continue to enjoy the work he does.
>> Banksy, Who is Banksy?
 
Art News Blog Comments:
Maybe, maybe not, but I do think he started a trend/movement that will be lasting in itself. I love his work, lOVE it.
 
I will forever love Banksy, if only for his giant Paris Hilton CD prank.
 
Yeah, at the very least, he has got people taking notice of grafitti.. which is the cave wall art of our time.

I like artists that provoke. It's a good thing to make fun of society and to point out our insanities.. and Banksy does that well.

Anyone at the top of their game will inevitably become a target for critics, so Banksy should feel special when anyone takes the time to spend a few hours hurling abuse at him.

It's probably pointless to talk about whether or not Banksy has staying power though, unless youre spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on buying his stuff now.
 
I like Banksy for his cheekyness and social commentary. I've seen several more unusual Banksy's around (besides the rats), one in particular was a Father Christmas who was stumbling around- he had a beer can in his hand.

There's also this:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/banksy/pool/

It's a collection of people's Banksy photos.
 
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