Banksy News: An artistic experience like no other

http://www.fineartblog.co.uk/?p=708

So, you would like to see the artistic works of Banksy? Well, I can tell you where not to go. I wouldn’t bother with the National Gallery, and don’t even waste your time looking for them in the Tate. What makes Banksy such an intriguing artist, is the fact that you don’t quite know where to find his art. They simply just crop up at different locations around the city, so those of you that haven’t given Banksy’s works a thought this morning, may just encounter one on your commute to work, or whilst dropping the kids off to school. They may just unexpectedly make your day.

Banksy’s stencil graffiti of a woman and her shopping trolley plummeting from a great height can be seen on the side of this abandoned building in upmarket Mayfair, London.

It is this unknowing that makes his art so exciting. Those of you that are lucky enough to encounter one in person are left pondering…”What is it? Advertising? Or…could it possibly be a Banksy? It looks like a Banksy, but why here? A billboard on the side of a building in East India Dock Road?

Banksy’s sharp attack on consumer culture took pride of place on the side of this abandoned building in East India Dock Road, Poplar -just outside of London’s financial district. It has since been removed.

What makes a glimpse of a Banksy an artistic experience like no other, is that it’s an experience that you more than likely have lucked into to and an experience that you may not encounter again. For instance, those of you that may have glanced at the ironic attack on consumer culture that reads “Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock”, will never get to relive the experience, as it has been scrubbed off the East India billboard already.

Banksy’s addition to this ‘No Stopping’ sign in London is perhaps his commentary on the fast paced rat race that takes place in the Capital every day.

Banksy’s un-institutionalised view on art is what separates his contemporary works from the likes of the two previous Brit-art heavyweights, Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin. Although he could quite easily hold major sell-out exhibitions at the likes of the Tate Modern (as Hirst plans to), it would defy the point of his art entirely. To contain his art to the walls of a gallery would destroy the Banksy experience. What makes his art so spectacular is that you don’t set out to find it. Instead, by chance, you stumble upon it in the most unlikeliest of places so the artistic experience takes place when you least expect it.

Thank you

Adam

Handy Links:

Banksy Unmasked

Banksy – Image Archive

Banksy Spoof – Hanksy