Banksy Disrobed
Scott here:
This week, the art world was surprised by the unveiling of the identity of Banksy. Banksy, known as a bold guerrilla artist, made a name for himself through satirical and macabre street art that carried his witty social criticism and messages directly to the people. He once said said “modern art is a disaster area” and his role as an anonymous graffiti artist certainly bolstered his Art-World Robin Hood personae. The “unmasking” of Banksy however, should not distract from what makes his work, and the public’s embrace of his work, so unique.
Many of Banksy’s work utilizes the naked body to create an intentionally dramatic effect. For example, this work of a husband coming home to discover his wife’s infidelity, appears on the wall of a sexual health clinic in Bristol. Aside from the humor of the image, which on its own invites narrative, the context of its placement is critical to understanding the full meaning of the social commentary that Banksy typically imbues into his graffiti.
A far more powerful work of Banksy’s is a piece called “Napalm.” The work depicts a vulnerable naked child, screaming, burned by napalm while being happily escorted by Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald. Banksy uses imagery of the Vietnam War as a counterweight to the American projection of consumerism. The depiction of naked body here is used as a sharp commentary to evoke our most exposed state.
Whatever you think of him or his work, Banksy has effectively challenged the public into engaging in a dialog with his work. What makes his work so compelling is the immediacy of his graphic imagery as it relates to the human condition. Banky’s work is primal, biting, and naked. He has created a new cultural iconography for the masses without alluding to authorship. It is just this satirical iconography which is his trademark and authorship. Eschewing the limelight has over the years brought the limelight to him. Only time will tell if this limelight will change the reception and the subsequent dialog that his work receives from the public.