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comment by thenewgreen
thenewgreen  ·  4759 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Freakonomics » The World’s Most Expensive Photograph
It's an amazing film. A while back we had quite the street art dialogue going here on Hubski. Someone recommended Exit Through The Gift Shop to me. It remains one of my favorite films I've watched all year. You can't make shit like Mr. Brainwash up.

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.





b_b  ·  4759 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Agreed. I loved it. Even if MBW were made up, it would still be as good. On a tangential topic, here in Det we've had a few Banksys destroyed. Very sad.
thenewgreen  ·  4759 days ago  ·  link  ·  
bummer about the Banksy's but that's the nature of street art, right? It's fleeting.
b_b  ·  4759 days ago  ·  link  ·  
fleeting, yes, but a banksy isn't a normal piece of street art. there was one left of three that were originally here, and some guys removed it from its original place to bring it to their gallery. a lot of people gave them flak, saying that they "stole" it, but according to them, they were protecting a great work of art from certain destruction. difficult situation, and i can see both sides of it.
thenewgreen  ·  4758 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I'm not sure it belongs in a gallery. It would be like seeing a stuffed animal on a wall. Does it look cool? Sure. Would it look better in it's natural environment? Absolutely.

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.

b_b  ·  4758 days ago  ·  link  ·  
in principle, i agree that street art belongs where it was created. the surroundings are a part of the piece itself, and to take away the context is to completely change the meaning (and the value) of the piece.

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.

thenewgreen  ·  4758 days ago  ·  link  ·  
The cynic in me assumes the latter.