When we saw the earlier pics of Banksy's being defaced, it made our stomach drop. This one makes us sick to our stomach. Click the jump below for more pics and info
We feel as bad about this one as it possibly could be. We were stingy with the location, and thought that by not publicly putting out the location we could help this get documented, saved, and preserved. Unfortunately, it seems everything went wrong and it got tagged, and chopped out to be sold before most people could see it. Fuck.
The piece reportedly got tagged by someone who rolled up, got out of a car, tagged it, ran back to the car and drove away.
And a short while later, some workman showed up and sawed the piece out of the wall to be put up for sale.
This is as bad as it gets. First of all, we hate to see the bullshit tagging like this. It is the worst part of graffiti culture, and a part that we have never understood. It is incredibly smile minded to think that defacing something or ruining something somehow gives any credibility. It only shows you are a hack. You haven't brought anything to the table, the only contribution you have made to the world is by ruining something that was once beautiful. Well, everyone's already forgotten your name, they just remember that some asshole defaced a Banksy. Hope you're proud. We love tagging and love getting up, but shit like this happens too much, and gives graffiti a bad name in general (and most writers would agree).
Secondly, we thought that by protecting the location, we could give it time to get the site protected for more people to see. Unfortunately, instead of preserving it, the owner chopped it out of the wall. And folks won't get to see it after all.
And finally, we feel like real assholes for not posting the location earlier. We have learned a big lesson in the role of this blog, and if we aim to get the information out, we can't cherry pick and while we might be in touch with the pulse of the streets, we can't ultimately control what happens on the streets.
Such a sad story, and we pledge to give the location details on any and all locations from here on out.
Double Fuck~
***Big thanks to Cindy Bolf, Darryl Martinez, Ryan C. Winkleman, and Corey Miller for catching this action as it went down***
that sucks so much. I spent so many hours this week reading your blog, checking back, checking other sites, only in hopes of being able to go and enjoy this in person, soak in this wonderful street art. What a waste. Banksy should never waste his time here again, after the way his art has been treated. So ashamed of LA right now.
ReplyDeleteverey sad
ReplyDeleteDisgusting. If I had been there I would have punched these guys in the faces. Better to post the locations so that we can protect the art from fuckwits like these. So sad.
ReplyDelete:(
ReplyDelete-Dennis
I think it makes the piece Incredible. Everything Evolves. Be free. Relieve yourself of insult, and fear. Complaining about Graffiti on Graffiti. Stop limiting you mind, and let go of your beliefs!
ReplyDeleteNo good deed goes unpunished. Your intentions were good. Appreciate the coverage
ReplyDeleteThis is sickening. I hope who ever tagged it gets beat down, fucking toy! And, who are these guys cutting out all of the pieces?
ReplyDeleteI wanted to see the real deal street work. But, these F-Tards are killing it for everyone.
Honestly, this is the best part about street art. It's temporary. They're just sandcastles. Anything public for that matter. For whatever reason the defacers have, it's all a part of the game. I'm pretty sure even Big-B himself doesn't sweat this.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record: Two minutes after you posted that panoramic shot I figured out it was First St, right after Soto.
I don't know about you guys, but i'm getting sick in tired of hearing about Banksy and people stealing/destroying his work. LA is full of great street artist... its time to get back to covering the real shit that happens here.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that banksy rolled through and add some fresh art to the streets... but its time to move on. LA is getting a bad name in the art scene.
Its time for LA artists to rise up!
What is more sad is the fact these people are cutting it out to capitalize on the hype, in hopes to cash in even though they have no clue who or what Banksy is about, or graffiti art for that matter. Do people realize when you cut a piece of art from the wall, its like cutting only the signature from the whole canvas? Often times the canvas plays a bigger part of the piece rather than the art itself. When you get a hat or ball signed by a player do you cut out his signature? No, you keep the whole piece intact.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that someone tagged over it is part of the game. Ive seen pieces rolled over many times in the 90's, most notable to me was the Slick and Hex battle on the Levitz building. Its bound to happen. It sucks, but it happens.
This is exactly what I would expect from LA... I never lived in such a selfish city.
ReplyDeletei knew it was a mistake for you to stingily withhold the location on a rainy, traffic-clogged friday.
ReplyDeletewhat magical moment were you waiting for to reveal the location to your readers? explain that one, please.
luckily, there were other sources that revealed the location as early as yesterday morning.
shame on you (and the defacers).
@dSHIFT :: "Do people realize when you cut a piece of art from the wall, its like cutting only the signature from the whole canvas?"
ReplyDeleteBigtime!!
"The fact that someone tagged over it is part of the game. Ive seen pieces rolled over many times in the 90's, most notable to me was the Slick and Hex battle on the Levitz building. Its bound to happen. It sucks, but it happens."
ReplyDeleteThat's different that was a battle. This dumb ass did it because it was "Banksy" and wanted their moment of fame.
With all the street art in LA being removed from their walls lately, i would rather see them tagged over, than for sale. This scene is just ridiculous
ReplyDeletei was there only 3 hours ago and everything was fine! this is surreal and disheartening.
ReplyDeleteI do have to say that it was disappointing to not get the location earlier. I woke up this morning, checked this blog and saw that it was found, and then waited longer to find out what the location was. By the time I got there, it was tagged and getting ripped out of the wall.
ReplyDeletePoint is that had I known the location earlier this morning, I would have had a chance to see this piece, on the wall, untagged.
Someone should burn the building down. Teach the property owner!
ReplyDeleteI think giving people a chance to photograph it before releasing the location was the right call. Maybe releasing the location to select photographers via email early am, then releasing location to all after you know it has been documented would be the best method.
ReplyDeleteWow. Absolutely ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of it like this before, but I totally agree with dSHIFT1:
ReplyDelete"Do people realize when you cut a piece of art from the wall, its like cutting only the signature from the whole canvas?"
I'm a sucker for analogies, so well played! It's such a bummer to see how selfishly these things are defaced!
We had the location up for our readers yesterday evening cause the location was all over Eastside Facebook pages by 1pm in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteThere's some animosity towards Banksy by local artists it seems.
http://laeastside.com/2011/02/banksy-on-the-eastside/
Street art is just that STREET art. Its fine if it gets painted over or whatever. It IS for the public's enjoyment for a mere moment. But when these disgusting rats CUT IT OUT OF A FUCKIN WALL to sell it, it makes my blood boil! Who are you to capitalize from something you have absolutely no part in! Shame on you! And shame on whoever buys it.
ReplyDeleteBTW, there's another one up at Pleasant and Cesar Chavez on the Eastside. You can see it in this video:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p2vr2CVGMg
It is very sad to see this piece disappear. Misneighbors caught a brighter side to this piece as people pose in front of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p2vr2CVGMg
ReplyDeletethat is street life.
ReplyDeleteso what?
i guess that writer/tagger was 'hip' enough to know what is 'untouchable' or could give a crap.
That is LA some can hang most come and get their ass handed to them, see ya.
Wonder who paid the worker to come and cut the building?
Unfortunate but not surprised taggers defaced and this piece.
ReplyDeleteTaggers Sux and are the LA's nuisance especially when they tag on pieces of Art and give Graffiti Artist a bad name...
i muscled through so much damn traffic to get there only to see a fricken hole in the wall...
ReplyDelete@ Chimatli: The one on the bridge has been defaced, and it's not confirmed to be a Banksky. A lot of people on here argue that it's a copycat. However, kudos to you for having the location up. I wish I was following your blog to have gotten it this morning.
ReplyDeleteIts one thing to add to a piece of street art, but this was sheer defacement. Purely mean spirited and cowardly.
ReplyDeleteThere's such a large following now of Banky's works that, next time an address is confirmed (if an address is confirmed), some people should consider teaming up to act as security. They shouldn't try and stop anyone from tagging this stuff, but at least to document the act and shame any scumbags who are merely out to damage the work.
People are so full of shit and need to get off Banksy's dick. Without tagging there is now graffiti or street art or Banksy. Theres plenty of L.A. artists that are up all over with art that shits on anything Banksy ever did. He's just more famous as a result of past antics. I'll take a tag from Revok or Saber over any Banksy BS
ReplyDeletedont limit your mind to the temporary, the time spent with the art, looking for the art, touching and feeling the art - it was great
ReplyDelete- white knight -
I wonder if you would say the same thing about the tag if it was a Dondi or Futura 2000? Bansky is just another street artist navigating his way through the culture and isnt any more exempt from the rules of the graffiti game. Yall just jumped on the band wagon! You're whats wrong with the L.A. art scene not the tagger.
ReplyDeleteNow clueless Jeffrey Deitch can hang it in his moronic MOCA "street art" exhibition.
ReplyDelete@Casey... Thx!
ReplyDeleteThis really sucks. I was there just a few hours before this tagging in Boyle Heights and took a photo of the original. You can see it here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31051648&l=ac870dc7d4&id=125300886
ReplyDeleteI got here the second the saw was put into the wall. I was so pissed!
ReplyDelete-KR
long live chose
ReplyDeletehe appears to have made it (unmolested) on the side of Bull Taco in Oceanside
ReplyDeleteYo, its the owners property to do with it what they wish. If the owner is nice enough to not take it down, possibly protect it, and allow the public to see it. Well kudos to them. If not, its unfortunate, but ultimately it belongs to them, we cant be upset with them. Its like Bill Gates owning that Leonardo codex. Is it his responsibility to share it with the world? NOPE! He bought it he can do whatever the hell he wants with it. Please dont damage it though Bill!
ReplyDeleteBanksy's pieces are meaningless when they're not in situ. They mustn't be cut out. Maybe covered with vandal-proof Perspex?
ReplyDeleteif he wanted to make a statement why do the art piece in Boyle Heights that's primarily a Hispanic Neighborhood instead of say Newport Beach?...and by the way just like people were upset when taggers wrote over Elliot Smiths memorial, the neighborhoods these artist choose to put their pieces in thrive on graffiti as their personal expression thats why when you travel through places like Boyle Heights, El Serreno, East LA, or Pico Rivera you see tagging and murals but no street art...im not saying this dude who did a hit and run on Banks piece is part of the community but he knew how valuable the piece was and got the free publicity
ReplyDeleteOh, I get it. Banksy is legitimate street art, transforming the urban landscape into beauty and social commentary, while these taggers are mere vandals with no regard for true art? get real.
ReplyDeleteYeah, go punch the owner in the face. I'll stand back and watch.
ReplyDeleteBanksy knew the score when he put it up.
crying foul over a stencil piece?? cmon what about the murals all over East Los and LA for that matter that have been painted over by the city?? nah lets throw a fit over some stencil piece that can be redone in two minutes down the street just because some "legit" artist made it. Step off. What about the pieces done by Phantom Street Artist and all the other LA artists that got painted over cause they weren't approved?
ReplyDeleteTagging is always going to be around. PERIOD. so are stencils and massive walls too bad they dont get the credit or outcry when someone tags on them or even worse paints them over.
It's all part of the game. I'm sure Banksy is happy with the journey the piece has had. And it's good publicity for his movie. He addresses this kind of capitalist view of art in the movie. It's what the thing is about. No surprises here.
ReplyDeleteBanksy schmanksy. I would have painted over that junk had I come upon it.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is "exiting through the gift shop"! Street art ain't no holy relics, which is the whole point. I love that there are flickr photos of the guys sawing a square out of a wall. That's killer. The negative space made by the theft is more meaningful street art than the stencil. Matter of fact, how do we know that (1) the theft, (2) the hole in the wall and (3) the photo essay of the theft wasn't part of the original work?
ReplyDeleteWhat?! Who the hell do they think they are to steal a public art?? That is there for everybody to enjoy, not for some selfish bastards to take it! Damn!
ReplyDeleteThanks.
ReplyDeleteSad? That is awesome! First it was tagged. Every Banksy should be tagged. Then someone took it and sold it. FREAKING PERFECT. Not only did you guys not get it the first time, you completely missed the genuine moment the art happened. Your problem is that you revere a person, and don't get the point. The joke continues to be on you.
ReplyDelete(vOM1t with Bansky)
ReplyDeleteFuck the Banksy!!!
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't by Banksy. It was by Drew One.
ReplyDelete