OAI Open Art Blog

A little hint about life

Banksy’s face, and his identity – Banksy was born in Bristol in 1974 and not much, if anything, is known about his identity and his life. His hidden identity has fascinated and intrigued many people, but at the same time has infuriated several critics with whom he is in a stark contrast. He is a transgressive and revolutionary artist; against the system he paints with spray cans on the walls using the stencil technique. His art wants to rebel against the system, an art that however many consider banal and of little value. He is considered the father of street art of which he is the greatest exponent, he tells the underground life of the metropolis on the walls of the cities and deals with themes such as war and poverty with an ironic and satirical slant. Other of his graffiti tell us about the hardships and the crazy world of Western society, media manipulation, homologation, the atrocities of war, pollution, child exploitation, the brutality of police repression and the mistreatment of animals, let’s see some of them …

“Girl with a balloon” OR “Girl with a balloon”

It is a mural that is located in London. This is probably Banksy’s most famous piece. Made for the first time in 2002, it depicts a little girl holding out her hand to a red heart-shaped balloon, a very banal symbol of innocence, love and hope. In my opinion, the works that express these concepts are the most banal, over time the work has completely lost its meaning, becoming almost a commercial brand, being reproduced in an infinite number of versions and sold to a flood of customers. In 2006, the work, in a silkscreen reproduction, after having just been auctioned for a million dollars, was destroyed by a paper shredder by Banksy.

“Devolved parliament”

This work from 2009 is quite particular since it is not a graffiti but an oil on canvas. As you can see, the painting represents the English parliament occupied by various monkeys representing the world of politics in general. In October 2019, the painting was sold by the auction house Sotheby’s for the sum of 11.1 million euros and today its location is unknown. 250 × 400 cm in size, this painting has made several critics turn up their noses, trivial? Brilliant? It’s up to the public to decide, let us know in a comment!

“Mobile Lovers”

Mobile Lovers is a graffiti that he made in the city of Bristol, in Clement Street. A loving couple hugs as they both check the latest notifications on their smartphones. A few hours after it was discovered, the graffiti was removed with a crowbar. The work clearly represents today’s society in which love and relationships with people take a back seat, leaving the telephone first. Fortunately, after being removed, the panel was not lost, but was moved to a nearby venue called the “Broad plains boys club”. The owners said they moved it to prevent it from being damaged by the police.