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comment by b_b
b_b  ·  4759 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Freakonomics » The World’s Most Expensive Photograph
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.