Respect Authority

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 ›