Banksy… here we are talking about the artist again. At the start of the year, as the tree painting in Finsbury Park was revealed to be his, I spoke about how we’re never really allowed to enjoy any of his art for what it is anymore. That mural was swiftly covered up by scaffolding with no idea of when or if the public will ever be able to enjoy it again. I’ve lost count of how many more have been hidden, stolen or carved out of walls over the years.
The artist has been in the spotlight again recently. He seems to be creating a series around the city based on animals. Critics suggest it’s an allegory for London being a zoo. Now if that’s the case, I do like that theory because as we all know London at the best of times is a f***ing zoo of chaos. But hey, that’s why we love it, right? With its good and its bad.
Banksy has been producing art at a rate faster than people can react recently, with nine different artworks claimed by the artist in this past week alone. As quickly as the rhinoceros mounting an abandoned vehicle in Charlton was revealed, it was defaced — by someone wearing a balaclava no less. A cowardly reaction to a work of art placed in an area that would benefit from his art. Even the abandoned car has been removed.
The police sentry box that’s been turned into a piranha tank (apt!) in Ludgate Hill was there for days, even hours, before it was “moved to a safe location”. A howling wolf on a satellite dish in Peckham was stolen less than an hour after it was revealed. The billboard in Cricklewood was dismantled by contractors and when questioned, apparently the owner of said billboard has pledged to donate it to a gallery. London Zoo has had its shutters given the Banksy treatment with an amazing gorilla mural — let’s see how long that lasts.
The individual reactions we’re seeing to these murals is animalistic: theft, greed, envy and destructiveness
I don’t know… it just feels like this is all counter-intuitive to the reason he’s producing this art to begin with. Or maybe it’s not? Maybe he expects this all to happen and it’s got a deeper message about where we are as a society. But if that’s the case, then what’s the point of art if you can’t enjoy it?
One thing is for sure — the individual reactions we’re seeing to these murals is animalistic. Theft, destructiveness, greed and envy have led to almost every single one of these new pieces being removed from the public eye as quickly as they were created.
Sure, the stolen satellite piece won’t appear in a gallery any time soon and they’ll struggle with selling it on the black market unless it’s to someone dodgy who hoards art in private. I just don’t get what the end result is meant to be here. What, are they gonna put it up in their living room? Can’t we just leave things alone and enjoy them?
Street art is meant to be shared with everyone, that’s what makes it street art. It’s become this unbelievably elitist art form, so far from the early days of graffiti. What art would we compare that to these days? You’d think social media artists are the new guerilla artists, but then there’s nothing more pathetic than trying to enjoy a sculpture or painting on a screen in your hand.
As a society in London, we’re all going through the motions at the moment. Hybrid working should be alleviating congestion but the city seems busier, hotter and worse to get around than ever. With all that’s going on in the world, there are protests every week for different causes. I’m all for it; as a nation we’ve proudly marched for what is right (and some of us for what’s wrong, sadly) but it doesn’t seem to be getting us anywhere except from one end of the street to the other.
Everyone’s emotions yo-yo from trying to be in the moment and get on with our day, to being bombarded by tragedy and change. Maybe that’s why Banksy is creating this art? The artist and his old-school ethics have a tendency to pop up when London most needs it.
Nothing is supposed to bring people together more than art in all its forms. Perhaps, just as I do as a DJ, or as actors do on stage, he’s attempting to provide some respite from the zoo that is our city. Let us enjoy it.
Track of the week: 100% Pure Love — Matonii
