Brittney Nhem

CE Exploratory Art
Frampton
Famous Artist Exploration: Banksy
Banksy can be considered as one of the most controversial, but prominent
artists of the twenty-first century. His satire artworks incorporate a compelling
message that often describes problems occurring throughout the world. Bristolborn, it is believed that Banksy began his career in the 1990s and has chosen to
operate anonymously ever since. There have been claims on his true identity as
well as photos that have allegedly stated that it is the controversial artist, but
none have pulled through.

His career truly kicked off when he predominantly began the use of stencils
in his art, creating his signature style which has now become widely recognizable
and distinguished a vast majority of his pieces. Not only is he a street artist, but
he also has created 3D representations of art as well as films. His first film
titled, Exit through the Gift Shop, was nominated for an Academy Award in
2011 and tells the story of Los Angeles-based, Thierry Guetta, a French filmmaker
that obtained his content by video-taping other street artists. When his videos
then started to include Banksy, his career then began to reach new heights.

Banksys contentious art pieces continue to create political and social

statements that effect the surrounding society as well as beyond. His views on
politics, culture, and society emanate throughout all his works and have given a
new meaning to not only street art, but contemporary art as well. He puts into
visual form what others seem to deny and does it in a way that is easily accessible
to the public eye. In 2010, Banksy made Time Magazines Worlds Top 100 Most
Influential People as well as Webby Person of the Year at the 2014 Webby
Awards, giving a five-worded speech
read aloud by the host.
The use of stencils is probably the
most quintessential medium for any
graffiti artist to create more fine-tuned
images much quicker. When Banksy saw
stenciled letters at the bottom of a
garbage truck, he realized the amount of
use he would have with the cardboard
cut-outs and has increased its popularity ever since. Every 2D piece of street art
created by Banksy uses stencils, which have become a trademark of his. The
majority of the actual piece is usually constructed with black-and-white paint
while certain areas are occasionally painted with vivid and distinct colors to draw
attention to that particular part of the art. In addition to his more common works
of recurring characters such as rats, children, and soldiers, he also creates
different variations of other famous art pieces, as well. He has reworked art from

da Vincis Mona Lisa and Monets Water Lilies, to Edward Hoppers Nighthawks
and Andy Warhols Marilyn Diptych.

It is no surprise that these variations

caused large amounts of controversy, but that is exactly what he is hoping for.
Though quite a handful of his art can plainly be dark humor, the vast majority was
imagined to purposely cause a disturbance and give a blunt signal to society itself
to speak on issues that are normally avoided in conversations.
In July 2003, Turf War was Banksys first major exhibition which was set
up in a London warehouse and included painted live animals which were approved
by the ASPCA but still brought on animal rights activists. This exhibition was the
primary introduction of Banksy to the general public and this enacted a growth in
his popularity. His messages of anti-authoritarianism and anti-violence have
given him massive support and appreciation as well as an opposing side that
comes with the territory. In 2005, Banksy made his mark in Palestine where nine
images were created on the West Bank barrier, separating Israel from Palestine.
He visited the area again in 2007, where he created a mural depicting a dove
wearing a bullet-proof vest, enhancing the spotlight on the unstable peace caused
by the Israel-Palestine barrier by
incorporating the symbol of peace
itself.
The elephant in the room
is a common-used metaphor for
something obvious that is being
ignored. In a Los Angeles

warehouse, the metaphor became a literal explanation for the live elephant that
was really there. Banksys show Barely Legal included a red-painted, goldaccented, full sized elephant meant to get across world hunger. In October 2013,
Banksy held a New York residency in which he unveiled at least one new piece of
work daily. This eventually led to an HBO documentary based on his stay in the
state, highlighting his thirty-one works of art released to the public. It was
rumored that the notorious artist was releasing a film constructed on his New
York works and was eventually made fact when he released an almost three
minute trailer, naming it, Better Out than In-The Movie in July of 2014.
His most recent project was unveiled in August 2015, when some
construction work was happening in a seaside resort in Weston-super-Mare, UK.
This new exhibition called, Dismaland: The UKs most disappointing new visitor
attraction, was a very well done approach on a dystopian theme park. Based off
of the well-known Disneyland, this park had a five-week lifespan that included a
battered and rusted version of Cinderellas castle, gloomy employees, and no
excitement whatsoever. Also called a Bemusement Park on the brochure, the
works of art within the exhibition was contributed by at least 58 other artists from
around the world, while Banksy himself provided ten pieces of his own.

WORKS CITED
Jobson, Christopher. "Welcome to Dismaland: A First Look at Banksy's New Art Exhibition Housed Inside a
Dystopian Theme Park [Updated 8/22]."Colossal. Colossal, 20 Aug. 2015. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.
Vincent, Alice, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jessie Thompson, and Matt Lewis. "Banksy Better Out Than In Map:
See Where the Street Artist Has Painted." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 01 July 2015. Web. 04 Jan.
2016.
MailOnline, Steph Cockroft for. "The Banksy Effect: Impact of Elusive Street Artist Blamed for Explosion in
Graffiti in His Hometown of Bristol...but Is It Art or Vandalism?" Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 22
Oct. 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.
Rory McCarthy. "Banksy in Bethlehem: A Sudden Provocative Comback."The Guardian. N.p., 03 Dec. 2007.
Web. 03 Jan. 2016.
Taylor Remnar. "The World of Banksy Art." The World of Banksy Art. BlogSpot, 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Jan.
2016.
"Banksy's Umbrella." The Friendly Peach. The Friendly Peach, 14 June 2012. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.
Biography.com Editors. "Banksy Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2016.