"The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and self-obsessed to become our artists.. Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little." http://www.amazon.com/Million-Stuffed-Shark-Economics-Contem... - Banksy
There might be a Banksy or two in there.
I'm still trying to process what I just took in, but my immediate response is to feel confused, disillusioned, and completely unsurprised. It reminds me of a passage from Don DeLillo's novel, White Noise, in which the protagonist visits "The Most Photographed Barn in America." http://www.downwindproductions.com/barn.html It's part of the culture, now, to inflate the meanings of things by fashioning icons of them. And once people are convinced of a thing's iconic status, it forms its own metaphysical value completely out of nothing. If something seems important, it must be important. And this separate double identity self perpetuates until it obscures the actual thing, and we're no longer celebrating it for its merits but for its fabricated importance. Thanks for recommending the film; I really like it.
Then to discover that - holy shit - that stupid dude with the video camera is part of some bloody phenomenon that ends up on a Madonna cover... Part of my annoyance with the art world comes from the fact that they're consistently pricing shit way the hell out of my range. I decided in about 2002 that I wanted an Yves Klein (surprise surprise). I'd go with a print, but International Klein Blue is outside the gamut of most printing methods, so you need an original. At the time, you could get a Klein original for ~$4k for something small and non-noteworthy. The same thing I couldn't afford for $4k in 2002? Yeah, the very piece I didn't buy is now $400k. Don't get me started on Magritte. I almost bought a numbered edition in 2001 for $1800.
I reached a point in my life where the pretty pictures needed frames. Then I reached a point in my life where the pretty pictures needed mats and frames. Now we're talking $200 just to frame the stupid thing; might as well be worth something.
Watch it soon, for sure. Banksy is hilarious. Enjoy! Also, I'm pretty sure it's all on youtube in 8 parts if Netflix has removed it.
Also, it takes away the whole, "I've seen a Banksy" aspect. The fleeting nature is one of the aspects that makes it great, like a meteor shower or a "murmuration". I also like that street art evolves as the surrounding evolve. I can see both sides too but think I more "anti"-gallery.
the dynamic here is a little nuanced, however. there is a big struggle in detroit between preservationists and those who want to tear everything down and erase the memory of the failed past. most of the younger crowd--those who are repopulating the city, including the owners of 555 Gallery who now possess the Banksy--fall on the side of preservation; most of the city's establishment fall on the side of "progress" (for lack of a better word). This was best embodied by a big fight over Tiger Stadium, which was involved in a court battle for years, but the site now sits as a fenced in vacant lot. The Banksy was moved, I think, so that in the future, when all of the court battle are lost and the whole city is a vacant lot, there will be a reminder that there used to be something cool here. Or, the cynical view is that they saw a piece by a famous artist that was free for the taking, and they wanted to increase traffic to their gallery. That can't be discounted.