Banksy

Art is defined as having no use other than no exist as itself.

I didn't do an art course, but surely every kind of artwork can be seen as having a use other than existing, even if it's just making the big wall of an investment banker's penthouse flat look nice. So defining art as something with no use other than existing seems to drastically limit what you can define as art and would mean that most art galleries should empty since you have to get rid of every portrait, religious art, photograph, etc.

BTW, I think Dondi's Adidas three stripe trousers with Cinelli, Look, etc patches are cool as fuck

Banksy is not a person - Banksy is in fact a collective of 3, who all have regular jobs in the real world, 2 of whom are public schoolboys, who met at Bristol University - hence why you will never get a picture of Banksy

One of them is probably that little cock Ottis Ferry. Whatever, he is sure to be, or at least was a trustafarian

Makes me laugh how easy it is nowadays to slag off Banksy.
It's like the current trend.
I'm wondering how many of those people actually used to like him in the early days.
Maybe even have one of his books at home.

It might be an ancient art but so what. Blek Le Rat got left behind.
Banksy's art caused a stir and hit home to a lot of people. He does a good job in that field.

And fair play to him, he's done some risky things and got it out there.

So what if he's a middle-class public school boy?
So are some of the best musicians in the world.

Not all of it is great, and it's clearly coming unstuck, but it wouldn't surprise me if this whole Daily Mail thing is set up. They probably hate him anyway...
Remember the 'piss take' Daily Mail tees they used to sell in his early exhibits?

I'm not the biggest fan...but in my eyes, Banksy has added something interesting to the drab streets and had the balls to keep pushing things.

Makes me laugh how easy it is nowadays to slag off Banksy.
It's like the current trend.
I'm wondering how many of those people actually used to like him in the early days.
Maybe even have one of his books at home.

It might be an ancient art but so what. Blek Le Rat got left behind.
Banksy's art caused a stir and hit home to a lot of people. He does a good job in that field.

And fair play to him, he's done some risky things and got it out there.

So what if he's a middle-class public school boy?
So are some of the best musicians in the world.

Not all of it is great, and it's clearly coming unstuck, but it wouldn't surprise me if this whole Daily Mail thing is set up. They probably hate him anyway...
Remember the 'piss take' Daily Mail tees they used to sell in his early exhibits?

I'm not the biggest fan...but in my eyes, Banksy has added something interesting to the drab streets and had the balls to keep pushing things.

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I agree, even if he has sold out a bit - fair play to him, he's a thought evoking artist in my opinion
he should ditch that Westwood though - now there is a cock if ever I saw one.

I always get confused by this assertion that Banksy has "sold out"
How can one who makes no financial gain from his art be deemed a sell out?
Banksy has kept his identity hidden. Even if caught on camera, his publicist / agent has clearly been given explicit instruction to neither confirm or deny his actual identity.
Playing devil's advocate - You could say that this in keeping with an excellent marketing ploy - unless you take into account he has never actually sold his work or his prints its others who have capitalised on his work.

Even in the books where he is the subject he is not the one gaining from their sale. (I would expect that he would have good lawyers and be getting something for the use of his images - but i suspect that he is not). Just because what you do gets you noticed doesn't mean you are a sell out.. so celebs have purchased his work.. you can bet the reseller didn't give any to the artist.

In the end you just have to accept that the man's work is being celebrated - which would have happened with or without his trying to make that happen simply becuase it appeals to a wide audience (and he'd done so in a number of countries).

I think he's quite intelligent. He makes simple pictoral statements of mass appeal about the state of our political landscape and socially dictated encumberments.
Can you do that??

How can one who makes no financial gain from his art be deemed a sell out?

what? how about his gallery show in LA which sold millions of dollars worth of work? who do you think IS taking the profits?

ME mwah ha ha ha.

still i like it.

ok, corrected. but he didn't start that way..did he? the street art was just that

plus at this point he'd be an absolute **nut **not to capitalise on it - wouldn't he?
I still don't think its selling out to make a living at what you like doing.. selling out - at least not in my opinion. Band's say other bands that sign to a major are "sell outs" - that isn't the case if they keep their initail ethos and maintain artistic integridy.. as far as i can tell, in my limited experience with banksy's works - they are of the same ethos and in keeping with his original intent - he didn't change for anyone... hence not a sell out.

or a long term, startegic, marleting ploy....?

I dont know if you still can, but for years he made hi res images of all his works downloadable for free from his website

plus at this point he'd be an absolute **nut **not to capitalise on it - wouldn't he?
I still don't think its selling out to make a living at what you like doing.. selling out - at least not in my opinion. Band's say other bands that sign to a major are "sell outs" - that isn't the case if they keep their initail ethos and maintain artistic integridy.. as far as i can tell, in my limited experience with banksy's works - they are of the same ethos and in keeping with his original intent - he didn't change for anyone... hence not a sell out.

any one who starts a "serious" band with out the intention of selling out is an idiot. money is a good thing.

• that isn't the case if they keep their initail ethos and maintain artistic integridy...
  
  
  

or a long term, startegic, marleting ploy....?

if that is the case than I think he's an absolute genius.. ;)

+1 lol

I think Banksy should work for the Daily Mail
Seems Fitting.
He could stencils of Princess Dianna.

Take him or leave him as far as i'm concerned. Blek Le Rat has been doing that shit for 25 years.

Banksy is a bit like fixed/ss . . . he was cool when only the hipster elite knew off him, but now that every cityboy and junior accountant has his book on their habitat coffe table he is no longer worthy of praise . . .

Hmm . . but would the frenchman be getting all the coverage he has in the media now, if it wasnt for banksy, and its not like he was the first to stencil either . .

totally agree, i read an interview with Blek a while back, it was asking him if he felt bitter about Banksy getting all the publicity, and he said "not at all, he's made me a very rich man"

personally i'm not a fan of eaither of them....it's just a bit of politcal satire really.....which means that I see them in the same light as Ralph Steadman, the king of political drawings.....
no contest really.

Art is fucking subjective, that's all there to it.

Art is fucking subjective, that's all there to it.

+1

I like banksy's stuff. It makes me smile. That's good enough for me.

I couldn't give a shit whether he's actually Lord Farquahar-Cholmondeley or Terry Asswipe - why would that make a difference?

that pic of DONDI is well good. RIP

Art is fucking subjective, that's all there to it.

I like Banksy's stuff.
That is all.

i liked it until the aussies started liking it.

I liked Nimhbus.. until he turned into a fuckwit.