some sort of Banksy retrospective
In his own words:
“What should we do with the empty plinth in the middle of Bristol? Here’s an idea that caters for both those who miss the Colston statue and those who don’t. We drag him out the water, put him back on the plinth, tie cable round his neck and commission some life size bronze statues of protestors in the act of pulling him down. Everyone happy. A famous day commemorated.”
Banksy commented on BLM with an oil/acrylic canvas and a thoughtful message.
Photos: Banksy’s Instagram
As reported by The Guardian, a few hours after the canvas appeared at the Southampton General Hospital in the southern UK:
“Banksy left a note for hospital workers, saying: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.”
After lockdown measures are lifted, the piece will be put on public display. It will then be auctioned to raise money for NHS charities, a spokeswoman for Banksy confirmed.
Paula Head, the chief executive of University Hospital Southampton NHS foundation trust, said: “Here at Southampton, our hospital family has been directly impacted with the tragic loss of much loved and respected members of staff and friends. The fact that Banksy has chosen us to recognise the outstanding contribution everyone in and with the NHS is making, in unprecedented times, is a huge honour.”
“It will be really valued by everyone in the hospital as people get a moment in their busy lives to pause, reflect and appreciate this piece of art. It will no doubt also be a massive boost to morale for everyone who works and is cared for at our hospital.”
In his own words: “My wife hates it when I work from home.”
Banksy revisited his roots in Barton Hill for Valentine’s Day. And the girl with the red balloon is also back, but this time holding a slingshot in her hand.
A few days later, Banksy published the sketches:
In his own words:
“I’m kind of glad the piece in Barton Hill got vandalised. The initial sketch was a lot better..”
Banksy’s former agent and official photographer released his highly anticipated book in December 2019. Banksy Captured features many previously unpublished photos of Banksy and some amusing stories from various street art adventures. It is definitely a must-read for anyone interested in the early days of British street art.
Steve Lazarides is interviewed in the upcoming documentary Banksy and the Rise of Outlaw Art, to be released in February 2020. The film features, among others, street art legend Ben Eine, the printer for Pictures on Walls. Click for the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az9ttLyQe9E
By the way, Banksy’s unaltered voice at the beginning of the trailer mentioned above is strikingly similar to the voice of the person presented as Banksy in an interview at the Turf War exhibition in July 2003. Reporter Haig Gordon did the interview for ITV, but the footage was reported to have been forgotten in the ITV archive for 16 years until it surfaced in 2019:
This line of thought in the “Who is Banksy?” mystery is supported by some of the photographs in Lazarides’ new book, especially one on page 154, which is consistent with the alleged Banksy in the resuscitated ITV interview. Whether this person is “one of the Banksys” or “the Banksy” will never be known. The puzzle is part of the overall artistic expression, in which we all play a role.
A bittersweet reminder for us comfortable westerners that Christmas is not a celebration of peace, joy, and overeating for everyone.
In Banksy’s own words:
“Scar of Bethlehem. A modified nativity set for the @walledoffhotel”
The same piece installed at the Walled Off Hotel:
As announced on @banksygrossdomesticproduct on 11 December:
The T-shirts are only available for sale at an event in Bristol on 12 December. All proceeds go to four homeless charities.
Banksy has collaborated with several NGOs over the years. One of them is, of course, the @lovewelcomes project, which among other things, made the coveted “Welcome Mat”, sold at the Gross Domestic Product.
“Love Welcomes is a creative social enterprise that helps refugee women begin to stitch their lives back together.” (https://lovewelcomes.org/pages/our-story)
Plenty of meaningful Christmas gifts at http://lovewelcomes.org.
The new mural is a bittersweet Christmas greeting featuring Ryan, a homeless person, being drawn away by two reindeer. The piece appeared in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter last Friday, the 6 December, and was confirmed on Banksy’s Instagram a few days later with a short video. In Banksy’s own words:
“God bless Birmingham. In the 20 minutes we filmed Ryan on this bench passers-by gave him a hot drink, two chocolate bars and a lighter – without him ever asking for anything.”
According to The Guardian on 10 December:
“A commuter who happened to pass by on her way to work on Friday morning claims she saw a man setting up close to the wall. She said: “It was around 7 o’clock on Friday morning when I got off the bus and saw a man giving a few snacks to a homeless man who was sitting on the bench. I wouldn’t have thought it was Banksy, I just thought it was someone helping out the homeless.”
Martin Clarke, a jeweller at Vault 88, claims to have seen two workmen early on Friday morning working on the wall which is directly outside his shop. “I saw a small tent with a couple of lads in high-vis vests early in the morning on Friday. I thought they were from the council and were just doing a bit of upkeep. About half six I looked out the window and the tent had gone as had the lads. Then I saw it.
“I thought it was great. We weren’t sure what it was at first or who did it but we had a good idea.”
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The official video of the piece in Birmingham:
Banksy’s handling service, Pest Control Office, has created one of the most efficient certification systems in the art world. They have also been active in the second-hand market, acting as intermediaries between sellers and buyers of Banksy’s certified prints and unique studio work. (This has nothing to do with street art pieces.)
Now it seems like they are taking it to a new level with the announced launch of http://www.Bbay.shop. It is an interesting development for the booming secondary market in Banksy artwork and will hopefully set a new standard for transparency in the art market.
Banksy unofficial 