I have a fascination with graffiti. Is it art, or is it purely vandalism? I think like most things, the answer is not black and white. I have seen many beautiful photographs, paintings, and sculptures that I would not consider art. I've also seen plenty of graffiti that I would not consider art. I think a large part of what makes art, is having something to say, no matter what medium is used.
When I was at the library looking for a documentary to watch this weekend and came across one called, Exit Through the Gift Shop, about graffiti artists, I checked it out. For those of you who know of this documentary, you will laugh when I tell you that I did not. I checked it out thinking it was an older movie, purely informational, and admit that I thought it would be a bit boring. It was none of these things. For those of you who have not heard of it, there is controversy over whether the story told in the documentary is actually a hoax, but this isn't what I want to focus on. I want to focus on the work of the graffiti artist Banksy. I am not going to give his background, because it can be easily found on Wikipedia, but I do want to share a few of my favorite examples of his work:
This image was my first exposure to Banksy. I came across it in a magazine and liked it, before I saw the movie.
This is just one example of images he created along the Israeli West Bank barrier in Bethlehem.
Humorous or sad?
This image was made in May 2008 and has since been painted over. I like that he compares cave art to graffiti. This illustrates exactly the push and pull I feel towards graffiti.
Banksy-art or vandalism? Honestly, it doesn't matter to me. I just like it.
When I was at the library looking for a documentary to watch this weekend and came across one called, Exit Through the Gift Shop, about graffiti artists, I checked it out. For those of you who know of this documentary, you will laugh when I tell you that I did not. I checked it out thinking it was an older movie, purely informational, and admit that I thought it would be a bit boring. It was none of these things. For those of you who have not heard of it, there is controversy over whether the story told in the documentary is actually a hoax, but this isn't what I want to focus on. I want to focus on the work of the graffiti artist Banksy. I am not going to give his background, because it can be easily found on Wikipedia, but I do want to share a few of my favorite examples of his work:
This image was my first exposure to Banksy. I came across it in a magazine and liked it, before I saw the movie.
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| Source: Wall and Piece, by Banksy, Random House UK, ISBN 1844137864 (Wikipedia) |
This is just one example of images he created along the Israeli West Bank barrier in Bethlehem.
 |
| Source: photographed by Markus Ortner (Wikipedia) |
Humorous or sad?
 |
| Source: photographed by Steve Preston (Flickr) |
This image was made in May 2008 and has since been painted over. I like that he compares cave art to graffiti. This illustrates exactly the push and pull I feel towards graffiti.
 |
| Source: ethur.org/home.asp (Wikipedia) |
Banksy-art or vandalism? Honestly, it doesn't matter to me. I just like it.
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