What fuelled Banksy’s latest outrageous art exhibition stunt?
Banksy, one of the most sought after graffiti artists of this generation, has once again caused an upheaval in the art scene that Alex Branczik, Sotheby’s European head of contemporary art, describes as being “Banksy’ed.”
On October 7 one of Banksy’s most famous prints, ‘Girl With Balloon’, was sold at Sotheby’s London auction house for £1,042,000. Immediately after the mallet signalled the sale, the crowd was shocked to see the piece self-shredding. The artist was quick to upload a video of the act to his Instagram account, quoting Picasso.
Banksy claims that when the piece was handed over to Sotheby’s in 2006 he had already constructed a hidden shredder into the base of the frame.
What encourages his animosity? Like-minded beliefs and a need for healthy fluctuations in the economy. He claims to disregard commercial integrity, but his latest stunt has indeed contributed to the financial system nonetheless, with some reports of the artwork doubling in value and others suggesting it would be worth £1.
Banksy isn’t the only artist to create crazy stunts in order to remain memorable to the art world. Jean Tinguely’s 1960s piece ‘Fragment from homage to New York’ incorporated random objects like wheels and a bath. It was only when balloons self-inflated, burst, coloured smoke dissipated, paintings were destroyed and other objects broken, that a voice recording explanation was given on his piece.
On the other hand, Tracey Emin’s showcased ‘My Bed’ highlights a different controversial culture in comparison to Banksy’s shredding and Tinguely’s self-constructing/destroying pieces.
Emin used her drunken, sexual escapade as a means of escapism through props such as condoms, tampons, pregnancy tests, vodka bottles and knickers strewn across the floor. She also exhibits a tent in which she’s etched the names of every sexual partner she’s been involved with, to powerfully symbolise the connection between sexual exploits, sexual pleasure and feminism.
Chartered surveyor and auctioneer John Cameron, believes art to be something that shows a level skill or creativity: “When I look at Banksy his social comments for me is the creativity. The boundaries are being broken. In many ways whilst Banksy pokes fun at the establishment and is against the commercial aspect of it, he’s now just contributed to it.”
“As soon as I saw this with my own eyes I thought as an auctioneer, work being damaged in the auction house, there is a risk and a liability there. If this had just been a picture that fell off the wall and got damaged we wouldn’t be talking about it. I’m interested to know what can Banksy do after this?”
Rebecca Crow, Director at Jack House Gallery believes that: “He’s making a point about the fact that he doesn’t really belong in that environment and he’s taking the p*** out of the notion of people who will pay for something that then gets destroyed.”
Portrait stencil artist, Felix Rau (@eins.92 on Instagram), found Banksy’s stunt to be provocative, deeply embedding itself within the history of the deepest heart of art’s high society.
Andrew Green, graffiti enthusiast, sees Banksy’s thrill-seeking nature, linked with his political statements, as artistically and culturally empowering.
Graffiti artist My Dog Sighs (@mydogsighs on Instagram) uses available resources like tin cans to create his art work and says: “It’s an artist’s job to hold a mirror up to society and show them what/who they really are. Banksy does that very well. Satire, human politics and acerbic wit. Loads of people like it. Demand is high so prices rise.”
And when asked why he thought Banksy created the stunt he replied “Why do artists make art?”
Which leads to the question, what is the definition of art and why does Banksy feel the need to blur its boundaries?
