Banksy - scum or genius?

[THCAyle 10]

Banksy is not a proper graffiti artist,please do not associate him with us.He's a sell out,and everyone who thinks that his 'work' is amazing yet a simple tag on sign is criminal,are complete hypocrites.

[Phanerothyme 12]

"he's a sell out"

 

listen to yourself....

[Rushup 10]

Banksy is not a proper graffiti artist,please do not associate him with us.He's a sell out,and everyone who thinks that his 'work' is amazing yet a simple tag on sign is criminal,are complete hypocrites.

 

What makes Banksy a "sell-out"? Because he makes money from his work? I'm sure he's laughing all the way to the bank.

 

And what makes a "proper" graffiti artist? Someone who scrawls drab, bland 'THC' tags on lamposts near the Jaguar garage?

[jezzyjj 10]

Banksy is not a proper graffiti artist,please do not associate him with us.He's a sell out,and everyone who thinks that his 'work' is amazing yet a simple tag on sign is criminal,are complete hypocrites.

The graffitti artists who 'sell out' are the ones who actually do creative and original work, not unimaginative and sad pastiches of 1970s NY subway art. And people want to give them money as their stuff is good.

Are Basquiat and Keith Haring sellouts too? They also did original work too, hence the dollars handed to them. As does our very own Kid Acne.

[carmencarter 10]

Well, he's on my desktop wallpaper...I love his stuff.

[THCAyle 10]

The ENTIRE point of graffiti is thats its free.Hence the sellout comment,i find it funny how arsey people get when someone insults banksy.

 

I dont write THC,far from it,but i can guarantee you WILL see my stuff on a day-to-day basis.

 

A proper graffer is someone who does everything,pieces tags dubs etc...for free,where anyone can see it,regardless of wether they want too or not.

[discodown 11]

The ENTIRE point of graffiti is thats its free.Hence the sellout comment,i find it funny how arsey people get when someone insults banksy.

 

I dont write THC,far from it,but i can guarantee you WILL see my stuff on a day-to-day basis.

 

A proper graffer is someone who does everything,pieces tags dubs etc...for free,where anyone can see it,regardless of wether they want too or not.

So by your definition anyone who makes money from anything is a sell out?

[Rushup 10]

The ENTIRE point of graffiti is thats its free.Hence the sellout comment.

 

Banksy isn't paid for the stuff he does in the streets without permission. Same as any other graffiti artist. He doesn't sell reproductions of his street work either.

 

Sure, when he does things for Blur, art exhibitions etc he's bound to be paid, but that's when it ceases to be graffiti, as he isn't marking property without authorisation.

 

Graffiti: form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group, painted or marked in any manner.

 

A proper graffer is someone who does everything,pieces tags dubs etc...for free,where anyone can see it,regardless of wether they want too or not.

 

He does/has done all that as well... and the sheer volume of complaints from local residents suggests there are a lot of people who don't want to see Banksy mark a wall any more than they want to see you mark a wall.

 

I find it funny how arsey people get when someone insults banksy.

 

I'm not a great Banksy fan, I like bits and pieces of his stuff but I don't see it as anything other than moderately amusing. The reason I'm debating with you is I think you don't really understand the actual meaning of the word graffiti. You clearly have your own definition of the term.

[sushi 10]

what about his "paris hilton stunt" he did?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5310416.stm

 

i rememember that, in fact i think i downloaded the tracks and artwork around that time...might look if ive got em still

 

 

"No customers had complained or returned a doctored version."

 

You wouldnt admit to buying it though, would you?

[THCAyle 10]

I dont care for the 'actual' meaning of graffiti.Just the sort that goes on around us today.

 

My original point was that anyone who likes Banksy and not your everyday street bomber is a complete hypocrite,would you not agree?

[TeaFan 10]

I dont care for the 'actual' meaning of graffiti.Just the sort that goes on around us today.

 

My original point was that anyone who likes Banksy and not your everyday street bomber is a complete hypocrite,would you not agree?

 

No, I wouldn't agree. Liking something that looks good doesn't mean you have to like something that looks rubbish, even if they are broadly speaking done in the same medium. That would be the same as saying that if you like Monet you would also have to like Rolf Harris to avoid hypocrisy. Which is nonsense.

 

Also, there is no causal link between Banksy doing what he does and taggers/useless bombers doing what they do. Crap grafitti predates Banksy, and will probably outlive him.

[Halibut 12]

I dont care for the 'actual' meaning of graffiti.Just the sort that goes on around us today.

 

My original point was that anyone who likes Banksy and not your everyday street bomber is a complete hypocrite,would you not agree?

 

TeaFan beat me to it; of course I don't agree.

 

Most of Banksy's work is entertaining, subversive, politicallyaware and well executed.

 

Most of your everday street bombers stuff is none of the above.

 

Simple really - and not hypocritical in the least. To extend TeaFans mataphor slightly it's like claiming I'm a hypocrite if I appreciate the music of Elgar and think most Death Metal is unlistenable sh*te.