A break from more arduous subject matter.
Are you familiar with Banksy?
www.banksy.co.uk
I was flipping through my copy of Wall and Piece a compilation of many of Banksy's more famous works. Incidentally it makes a great coffee table book. It made me wonder: What is the line between art and vandalism?
Personally I consider Banksy's work to be art. It's beautiful and it always makes a statement; however, there are many people who would say otherwise. Banksy's work has garnered criticism from local authorities, animal rights activists, and everyday citizens who appear to lack any sense of humor. Some people cite individual works of his as being in bad taste; for instance his Elephant in the Room exhibit in LA. Banksy's work is defacement of public property in a very literal sense, but if it's an improvement on the original wall is it vandalism? It isn't any less illegal. And even if we do decide Banksy's graffiti qualifies as art instead of vandalism, where is the line? Wouldn't it be different for each person? We all have different definitions of what is beautiful.
In short my questions are:
- If some graffiti is removed and some is allowed to stay, who should decide and what should be chosen?
- Is it acceptable to alter someone else's property to make it more beautiful? Are there any exceptions?
I feel like there are more questions I want to ask, but I can't think of anything that doesn't sound really dumb and/or pretentious. Please comment back with any thoughts or additional questions you think I missed.
2 comments:
i was just thinking of banksy the other day and i was thinking something similar.
and on a quick note this guy is a fucking GENIUS.
his art is always witty, deep, and intricate.
but as far as graffiti/wall art/and other such things go i don't think it will ever become legal or accepted. call me a government hater or a paranoid coot if you will but you have to look at it beyond the spectrum of art and see it through the eyes of dusty old men. its competition, and they can allow it. cause after all how different is any of this from a billboard or a shop window? to the stuffy heads of state and nation its advertising and they aren't seeing a dime from it making it evil and wrong. yes our nation does think this way and yes i understand how silly and overly liberal i'm being but i think that its the truth.
yes we're artists and we love it and other people may love it too, but right now its not about what we like. its about what is thought best for us and our children's eyes and so on.
but thank god there will always be the men and women who sneak out covered with scarves and weilding spray paint cans clicking and sputtering, without them i might be a little less light about the subject.
p.s
everytime i see the name of your blog i think of that horror movie with the gooey monster and the underwater terror and whatnot.
i LOVE that movie.
just thought id mention it.
heh.
.steph
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