Banksy's newest piece just got covered with plexiglass. Some people think this is very wrong, and against Banksy's wishes and the purpose of street art. Click the jump for more
The London Street Art Design (LSD) Blog just posted a pic and video showing Banksy's newest piece being protected and covered by plexiglass.
LSD feels that street art is a 'temporary flash of greatness' and covering it up, even to protect it, is wrong. They feel it might even jeopardize Banksy's doing art on the streets at all.
While we agree that covering a piece of street art alters the essence of the piece. Still, we aren't sure whether it is a better thing to let the piece run its course naturally, or to protect it with something foreign to the streets, and the idea of street art, like plexiglass.
And the irony is rich how building owners don't want graffiti on their buildings, but when its a Banksy, they will protect it. Clearly, it has more to do with the financial aspect than love of graffiti as an art form, but it does start to represent a change in the way society treats things. Perhaps, if communities would ask, could this be a Banksy? or worth money? and maybe those questions would lead to more street art being preserved longer, in general.
I understand that they think Banksy's street work should by temporary because that is the nature of putting art on the streets. However, it seems like they're making a stretch in saying that putting plexi over his pieces may stop Banksy from doing street work entirely. It's not as though putting some of his pieces behind plexi is a new development. It has happened for a few years, so I think (and hope) that if it were going to cause him to stop putting up street pieces, it would have happened already.
ReplyDeleteThats like saying that Banksy would stop doing art if it was ever worth any money. Didnt seem to stop him when HE was getting paid millions for the artwork, so it definitely wont stop him now. The more people protect his art, the more it will be worth for him. Simple economics. Duh.
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