Banksey

I had a hard time finding a dissident artist to talk about who wasn't a street artist because that's what search engines kept directing me toward. I settled on writing about the ever-subversive artist who operates under the name Banksy. This anonymous artist is famous for his satirical and clever graffiti, much of which is politically charged and subversive. I chose Banksy because his work often has a sense of humor to it even when it tackles grim subjects.




The painted dove in a bulletproof vest is especially interesting because it depicts peace being defended from an instrument of war.

Banksy works by using an environment to his advantage. The spots for his grafitti are specifically picked to drive a point home. Juxtaposed starving children on grungy walls by high end stores hits especially hard. Banksy also has several children stencils that he places with violent scenes, depicting them with machine guns as well as toys, an interesting commentary on who is affected by war and how war is treated.

The work is very in-your-face and carries a shock factor to it without being completely gruesome. I think when it comes to art making a statement, if it's so gross that no one will look at it, an artist loses an audience and the chance of spreading their ideas and work around. It isn't going to be an effective controversy, or it can highlight a controversy that isn't necessarily the intended issue.



Banksy's official website is here.