Respect Authority

It’s funny that street art, which has existed for years under the category of “vandalism,” can, in today’s shifting art climate, actually increase the resale value of a building… even when that building is a total, indisputable piece of crap.

The oversize roach hotel above is The Whitehouse Pub in Liverpool, which is now more of a grandpa’s-dead-tooth gray than a white house, but hey, time makes fools of us all. Honestly, the building should probably just be condemned instead of sold, but on the other hand, I can certainly see why somebody would be interested in getting rid of it. I think I can smell the abundant bum toilets inside through the very Internet.

The building is currently on the market for £495,000, however, the 20 foot tall rat painted on the side is believed to be Banksy’s largest work and real estate agents are saying the price of the pub will soar as a result, perhaps to a lofty £1 million. A ludicrous sum which will naturally be the most amount of money spent on a polished turd in history. Actually, scratch that — the The Matrix Reloaded’s budget was way higher than that.

Personally, a million pounds sounds like a lot of money to pay to simply catch a host of infectious diseases on a rusted nail once you get inside the squatter’s paradise, especially considering most people try to avoid those even when they’re for free. In the end, I suppose it’s just more proof of Banksy’s increasing momentum, or, at the very least, proof of the artist’s clairvoyance as I can take a guess as to what you’ll find inside the pub. That’s right — giant rats. And also AIDS. And a staggering case of buyer’s remorse.

I guess the thought is that any amount of paint that covers up the pub’s exterior is an improvement. It could be wallpapered with “i luv cock” scrawls and the price tag would probably just stay the same.

[BBC News]

When I wrote about Banksy’s recent additions to New York City’s growing street art collection last week, I mentioned he had a show opening in the city soon, but I never expected anything like this.

The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill opened on October 5th at 89 7th Avenue between West 4th and Bleeker Street to little fanfare because, well, nobody really knew what it was at first. Nonetheless, it didn’t take very long to realize this was far from an ordinary pet store — the “store’s” name alone is more than a little suggestive. What do you think the dessert special is? Chinchilla a la mode maybe? Read More ›

Are American capitalism and consumer culture rubbing off on Banksy?

The latest stop on the infamous British stencil artist’s impromptu American tour is none other than New York City, a veritable mecca of street art in its own right — the only odd thing is that it seems Banksy might not even be there. In the past week, New York has seen two huge wall murals reeking of the pseudo-anonymous artist’s drawing style go up seemingly overnight, however, he didn’t paint them!

Both pieces, “I Love NY” located at Wooster and Grand Street, and “Let Them Eat Crack” on Broadway and Howard, were commissioned by Banksy and are, in fact, entirely legal. Personally, while I find both pieces amusing, attractive, and thought-provoking, methinks the message gets a little diluted when they’re paid for, painted by somebody else, and maybe most importantly, covering illegal street art in the case of “Let Them Eat Crack,” which happily rolled over a large tag by graffiti artist Katsu. Read More ›