'Aril woz 'ere'..yes she really was and yes she has been writing on walls [well one anyone]. There is a first time for everything, but perhaps if I reveal that I was at a Banksy exhibition at the time it might make more sense.
I am a great admirer of Banksy's work and was lucky enough to see a few pieces in Bristol a while back. 'Banksy Limitless' still has a few weeks to run and was superb. My sister and I were totally immersed in the experience for at least two hours and it showed a huge range of his pieces both over time and different mediums. As an artist who operates on the edges of society and freely comments on what he observes about us and how the state operates his fame has been a bit of a double edged sword. It has opened up his platform, but also brought him into the mainstream as his works fetch ridiculous sums or are stolen within hours of appearing presumably to be sold on to make money for somebody else. His reaction to such a conundrum was to set up an anonymous market stall in New York where originals of his were sold for $60. People had no idea what they were buying so negotiated a discount and very few sold. With a maverick like Banksy you never know where his next public art installation [remember Dismaland in 2015 which took a very dystopian view of the world of Disney] will pop up or what he will comment on next. I hope that he never stops being subversive and shining a light on the dark underbelly of our world. He's controversial, but he got his political message out by the artwork he left on the standing ruins of Gaza and Ukraine and he uses his money to do good. The purchase of the former French Navy vessel [painted pink and renamed the Louise Michel] to rescue refugees is only one example of his philanthropic work. Long may he continue to provoke and challenge. He makes me stop and think.
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