It’s been an incredible thrill following the posts, tweets and news reports since Banksy hit New York on October 1st, 2013. He’s announced that he’ll be staying in NYC for one month and he is sharing his exploits via multiple methods of social media. One official prank per day. (Who is Banksy? Scroll to the bottom for details)
On October 4, 2013- Banksy found existing word graffiti (or painted words so that they looked poorly written) and added his branding, “The Musical.” Besides, “Playground Mob: The Musical,” He also made “Occupy! The Musical,” and “Dirty Underwear: The Musical.”
(This is the piece that Banksy painted on October 1st. On his website it is posted with the words “The street is in play.”)
Forever playful- he’s laced the city with new art, shared ridiculous photos and on Saturday, he set up a booth of his art in Central Park selling each piece for $60. His art sells in galleries for thousands of dollars. It took hours for him to get any sale at all, his total sales for the day was $420. * I recently read via New York Post that it is estimated that the four pieces which sold for a total of $420 are worth $31,000. *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX54DIpacNE
‘Sirens of the Lambs’ is the name that Banksy gave to a mobile installation art piece which he had driving through Manhattan’s meat packing district.
On. Oct. 9th, Banksy hopped a fence on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and set up and painted this elaborate piece.
There are certainly going to copycat stunts going on during Banky’s US visit. Part of that is his goal and his thrill. Banksy challenges us to see art where there isn’t any. He makes us question the value of art; anything can be art and you can’t always possess it. Painting on the streets makes people look for art where they normally wouldn’t and it’s temporal quality reminds us that everything is fleeting.
Some sites to help you follow Banky’s New York adventure:
http://instagram.com/banksyny#
Who is Banksy:
“Banksy, a street artist whose identity remains unknown, is believed to have been born in Bristol, England, around 1974. He rose to prominence for his provocative stenciled pieces in the late 1990s. Banksy is the subject of a 2010 documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, which examines the relationship between commercial and street art.” -Bio.
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