Eye on London: Banksy

“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” – Banksy

Before I traveled to London I heard about the (in)famous Banksy, a British graffiti artist with an international following, known for stenciling satirical and somewhat controversial street art on walls, buildings, bridges, tunnels – or any city surface he comes across. His illusive character is due to the fact that he does not sell any of his art or reproductions of it, and he is always in disguise; wearing a mask and dark clothing.

Once I learned a little bit more, I became very curious as to who this practically invisible Banksy character really was. A college professor of mine told me about a documentary called Exit Through the Gift Shop. The story is about a French amateur film maker who attempts to find Banksy, succeeds, but then Banksy slyly turns the gaze back to the later corrupt filmmaker. The film includes some other famous graffiti artists including Invader and Shepard Fairey. Banksy is interviewed in the documentary but had a distorted voice.

Because I found the mysteriousness of this artist so fascinating, I was on a mission to find his pieces when I went to London . I looked high and low and researched online to find the locations so I could visit them. A lot of his art causes anger in communities and is often painted over or removed for auction and sold for thousands of dollars. Others, like two of the three I came across below, have been preserved.

Capture

Capture2

Capture3

Over the past few years there has been an increase in Banksy sightings and stunts of people claiming they are Bansky. If interested, look over the following articles. Maybe you’ll become intrigued or somewhat obsessed (like me).

Have you spotted any of Banksy’s art?

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  • Eye on London: Notting Hill |August 19, 2015 - 12:24 pm

    […] live there, and it has an eclectic, artsy vibe to it as well. The tour ended at a Banksy piece, a famous graffiti artist in London. Notting Hill has transformed from a troubled past to become an upscale and contemporary area in […]ReplyCancel

  • Eva’s Lens: Soho Street ArtJuly 13, 2016 - 9:19 am

    […] next one is by an artist named Hanksy, who takes the famous Banksy’s work and creates parodies by combining celebrities faces in with the piece; in this case Homer […]ReplyCancel

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