An Open Letter to Banksy, New York~

Dear Banksy,

Thank you for an absolutely amazing month. The roller coaster was spectacular. It was like the grown-up, street art equivalent of having Christmas every day. The excitement, the anticipation, and our eye-popping at the spectacles could not be matched. Like a symphony conductor, you played the masses, masterfully pulled and plucked at our heart strings. Thank you~

On a personal note, a Banksy image was the first street art that M&F ever personally witnessed on the streets. As a young teenager, someone painted the image of your copper flipping the bird in our neighborhood, and your image spoke to us and stuck with us. The image was not painted by you, but by some random Banksy fan in middle America years ago, but that doesn't change things. Basically, your street art became our first street love. And we still love you~

While running this blog, M&F has seen how Banksy's influence is as big or greater than the rest of the entire worlds of graffiti and street art combined. For what its worth, M&F would like to extend an open apology to Banksy from graffiti writers of the world and the street art community. Basically, nearly every graffiti writer that hates on Banksy is just jealous of your success, and every street artist wanting to be Banksy wants your success, but without understanding what it takes to get there. Like you say, people should not eat to shit. Instead of hating on your fame, or trying to snag a piece of it, true artists should emulate and learn from your example.

Banksy has conquered every mountain in the art world one achievement at a time. When Banksy wasn't a household name, you began painting animals (that time you painted the cow was where M&F first heard your name, and never forgot it since.  To be clear, not that 'paint animals' should be the lesson learned, rather keep it fresh by doing what no one has done before and what no one expects). When graffiti was not considered fine art, you invaded the world of fine art with graffiti. When museums would not have your art, you broke the rules to put it in there anyway. And somewhere along the line, your art works began to command colossal financial success.  But unlike many other artists, that was not your end game. It is so disappointing how many artists will work for years on crafting a unique and personal look or aesthetic, and then, once a deep pocketed advertiser comes along, they sell their aesthetic out for a paycheck. What is up with that? It cheapens the art because all of a sudden it not art, but just another cool advertisement for so-and-so company. Its the artistic equivalent to selling your soul. But Banksy, the biggest reason you are such a hero is that you achieved everything, and did it all without selling your artistic soul.  You did it all without selling out, or compromising what got you to where you are. In fact, once you got to the absolute top of the art world, you bring it back home to basics. Back to the streets. Back to where art should be. Boom.

Yes, thank you for the entertainment, but even more so, thank you for bringing art back to its roots. In the modern world, art has lost its way, and lost touch with the people. As you pointed out, generations ago, art got taken inside in service to the institutions and the church. Now, these days, art is assessed by its value, not its content. People are told what good art is, instead of experiencing good art and being able to explain why that art is impactful to them. This has made art boring, and generally a subject that most people are uncomfortable about giving opinions on or an honest opinion about. Art, in the art world, is about fake, money driven posturing. But none of this is real art. Art doesn't matter how much it costs or what the critics say. Art happens when it influences people, and the best place to influence people is outside, on the streets. Your month long exhibition was a powerful demonstration and testament to the powers of art.  Banksy, you have conquered both the streets and the auction houses. We always knew you were prophetic, but now we think that you might be a prophet. Moses set out the 10 Commandments after climbing down from the mountain. In a similar way, Banksy has climbed every mountain in the art world, and now he brings the art back to the masses. Galleries now want your art. Museums now want your art. Nearly every art establishment in the world wants your art! And you want to give the art back to the people. That is just fucking awesome. Thank you for stealing art back from the institutions, and offering it back to the people. Indeed, Better Out Than In.~

Banksy, your name is bigger than the rest of the street art world combined. You are a role model for the scene, and beyond. Throughout it all, you have continued to fight the good fight. You have become the greatest artist of this generation. You have achieved it all on your terms. All the while, you have utilized your ever-growing fame to do quiet acts of humanitarianism, while for the public at large, you are banging a loud drum for change. You might be a career vandal, but modern politicians, media giants, celebrities and other so-called 'role models' would benefit from emulating you as a model.

Banksy, you are King of the Graffiti World, King of the Art World, and our best hope for shaking things up on the streets in the future. Thank you for being the only hero worth looking up to.~

Stay up!

Street Art -- Lost Values

This mural seems to capture everything that is wrong with street art and its lost values.

At face value, this is a mural painted by Kai Aspire. The piece is entitled 'Lost Values', and it is re-assigning Louis Vuitton's 'LV' to mean 'Lost Values'.

At face value, it is pretty weak. The art is lame. The message doesn't say anything. And why any street art piece would be talking about 'lost values' in the uber-rich fashion world is a stretch to say the least. Louis Vuitton and street art? What do they have in common? Nothing but lost values and poor artists.

But even though it wasn't intended, this piece works perfectly on a deeper level. Like we say in the opening sentence, this mural seems to capture everything that is wrong with street art and its lost values.

Kai Aspire is not just another street artist. Kai was born with a silver paint brush in his hand. Kai is the nephew of Mr. Brainwash, and Kai's father owns this wall where the mural was painted. In fact, years ago, this wall used to be organic street art. Meaning that art just used to pop up on this wall on its own. Then, 3 years ago, the Guetta family started curating this wall. The best part is that the art did keep changing with constantly rotating murals, but the worst part is that the move transitioned this wall from 'street art' to 'public art'.  Strike one.

Strike 2 is the focus of the content itself. Like we say, street art and fine fashion have nothing in common. And any street artist thinks that fashion empires like 'Louis Vuitton' demonstrate 'lost values', well, then the artist is the one with the lost values. Like here. Street art should pack a message worthy of the streets. Not just this piece, but street art in Los Angeles in general seems to be failing to spread a worthy message.

Strike 3 is to pretend to be something you're not. And since Warhol, their has been a movement in the art world that says a factory is okay--the factory concept is the idea that the artist does not have to paint every stroke, someone else can do the work and yet the art is still considered an original. Okay, fine. We understand the factory concept. But what Kai is doing seems beyond the scope of Warhol's factory. You see, Kai paints murals like this one, and the one pictured below. Actually, the one pictured below provides the perfect example of what Kai did and didn't do. Kai did paint his name on the right. You can see from the thick brush strokes and uncontrolled drips how Kai literally has no skill with the brush. And now, compare that to the image next to Kai's signature. It is a masterfully blended image of Kanye West dressed up in medieval clothing. The art skill is seriously stunning, but it is clear that the image was not painted by Kai. The image on the wall was actually wheat pasted, but it is an enlarged image of a painting that Kai attempted to sell at a previous art show, as his own work. What!? A lot of folks in the community were outraged at Kai's first show because he did not paint the art that he was selling. Forget the factory concept, when did it become anything other than fraud to pretend something you didn't make, is yours? Talk about lost values . . .

Okay. So this mural has technically already struck out. But there are still more egregious things wrong with it. Basically, and 'technically' this entire mural is not even 'art'. This is an advertisement. In fact, if you were to take this mural and shrink it down into postcard size, then this would be a flyer for Kai's show. It is not art because the information on the flyer tells the viewer where to buy what the artist is selling. The viewer is not allowed to interpret the image or message, when it is done this way the viewer is instructed where to 'shop'. Like we say, this is not art, this is a painted advertisement.  For an art show with paintings that the artist did not paint focusing on issues that are irrelevant to life and the streets.

Finally, the only time Kai does anything on the streets is right before he is about to have an art show. As M&F has said before, the streets are not a platform to a gallery. The streets are the real prize. And if you only put up a handful of street pieces in order to hype a gallery show, well, that is not really a street artist. Don't know exactly where to draw the line, but that is not a street artist at all. That's someone trying to use the streets for advertisements. Not street art, an insult to the streets.

Street art needs to dump some baggage, get back into touch with what its about, and remedy these 'lost values'.

Stay up, Los Angeles!

Banksy's 'Banality of Evil' - Up for Auction Now! -- ***UPDATE: 37 Bids Currently at $157,200!***

Banksy's 'Banality of Evil' is currently up for sale for sale at a live auction. Starting bid is $74,000.

It is signed, by both artists (pic below). It does come with a Pest Control Certificate of Authenticity.

Any bidders?

***UPDATE -- Yes. There are multiple bidders. With deep pockets. Only a few hours into the bidding process, and Banksy's Banality of Evil is currently at $157,200 and has received 37 bids. Stay tuned for more!***

BanksyNY -- The Banality of the Banality of Evil

Banksy finally released his art piece today. Its entitled 'The banality of the banality of evil ' and described as Oil on oil on canvas, 2013'.  Banksy says this was A thrift store painting vandalised then re-donated to the thrift store. 

This is one of Banksy's favorite tricks, the re-appropriation of an earlier painting.

So, does this now mean that the Nazi painting is for sale at a New York thrift shop?!

Banksy at the Auction House - This Is Where Street Art Goes to Die

While Banksy is busy decorating the streets of New York with his art, some rich 1%-ers are at the auction house in Paris trying to purchase a Banksy to decorate their walls.

These shots offer a glimpse into the stale and horrifically boring and out-of-touch reality of auction houses and the fine art world.

These are not the move makers and trend setters.  These are the people who have more money than ability. These are people who purchase 'coolness' rather than live it.

After seeing this, it gives one a new appreciation for pieces getting tagged or ruined on the streets. Even if the tagging sucks, at least that is organic. The auction house can sell street art, but the auction house can never package and sell what makes street art cool. The auction house is where street art goes to die.

Banksy - Better LA Than NYC

Indeed.  Dig the title.  Just sayin'.~

But as for this piece, it was announced today that this might be a teaser for an upcoming Banksy show.  Its not.  This is a flyer for an upcoming auction that is attempting to sell this Flower Girl piece from Banksy.

Talk about better out than in.  Or is it, better on the wall than off?

THIS is Why Banksy Does Not Reveal His Identity

Funny video here where a man impersonates Banksy at Banksy x Os Gemeos Outdoor Gallery Exhibition.

This is hilarious, not because the dude is an obvious fraud dressed up in a Matlock-mustache and dark blue hoody saying 'Banksy'.  But because the crowd is what makes this funny, and as soon as the dude starts pretending to be Banksy, people start believing he is Banksy.

Every wonder why Banksy doesn't reveal his identity? (and, in M&F's opinion, why other street artists shouldn't either)?  To escape god-awful mundane questions like the ones Banksy starts to get as soon as he gets identified.  

The fans are stereotypical of the art world and the art world is boring as hell.  At the highest level, Banksy is art's only savior, at this point. 

Banksy Didn't Pay Shit (It Was a 'Gift' from the Gallery)

The other day, M&F posted an article with information from the NY Post reporting that Banksy paid $50,000 to rent his outdoor gallery space for 5 days.

Well, today Banksy addresses that report on his website.  Banksy says: "Contrary to reports on fox news this piece was donated for free by the owner".

Right on.  So who owns the property?  Turns out the 'owner' is Pace Gallery in New York.

Not sure if this tidbit of info will clarify things or stir it up again?

Banksy x Os Gemeos - Bringing the Street Art Gallery Outside

Banksy just announced that this new street art gallery exhibition is legit, and it is a collaboration between Banksy and Os Gemeos.

Over the audio recording, Banksy points out that Os Gemeos are well-respected graffiti writers who are not used to having their art painted over . . . "until now", the recording adds.

Today's collab between Banksy and Os Gemeos also the same imagery previously printed on the cover of New York's Village Voice (along with a Banksy interview).

So what is this piece about?  Banksy is making a huge point.  Street art is not about galleries, or prints, or being inside at all.  Street art is about the streets, and when you bring all those other 'gallery' factors outside, it just looks and feels ridiculous.  Even the 'free' water at Banksy's exhibition is green and rancid, indicating how Banksy feels about the gallery scene.

About this piece, Banksy says: People ask why I want to have an exhibition in the streets, but have you been to an art gallery recently? They're full.

Truly, Better Out Than In~

Banksy's Crazy Horse Installation Gets De-Installed

Today, Banksy's Crazy Horse installation got removed.

Both the car and back panel were hoisted up onto a tow truck.

The tow truck used says 'Artcore - Fine Art Services' on the door, leading to all kinds of speculation on the internet about whether an interested gallery has 'stolen' these pieces, or if Banksy has had them removed himself?

THIS Is the Hidden Image in Banksy's Concrete Confessional

Banksy's art is always hitting on so many levels.

Earlier, M&F posted about the hidden face that kept showing up in the night time pics of Banksy's Concrete Confessional.  Well, the same face also showed up as a mini canvas at Banksy's unannounced Saturday art sale at the park.

The face has now been identified.  It turns out that this image is from a previous Banksy work dating years back.  Banksy never repeats pieces, but apparently sometimes he revisits them.

Dig it.  Click the jump to check out all the pics comparing the images.

BanksyNY Turns the Art World on Its Head

Bwahahahahaaa! LOVE today's piece from Banksy!

Banksy turns the art world upside down by setting up a sidewalk stall and selling 100% authentic original signed Banksy canvases for $60.

Every person in the world wants a Banksy and dreams of having one, right?  So guess how many sold? 8 canvases were sold, for a daily grand total of $420.  Two canvases were even haggled for at half price.

Incredible piece from Banksy.  Turning canvas art into performance art.

This demonstration shows how the art world is completely subjective.  Things in the art world only have value when someone says they have value.

Awesome stuff.  Please note, Banksy states that the art stall will not be there again today.

Check out the video below:

Chod Gets a Taste of His Own Treatment . . . Kind Of

Months ago, Chod did one of the most uproarious things that has happened on the streets.  Chod visited a local gallery, purchased a $2,500 painting by Annie Preece, painted over it, and then returned it to the streets where it hung for a full day before being recovered by Annie herself.  It was a fascinating saga, and you can check out the original story HERE.

As Chod later explained in a rebuttal, the piece was done to explore "the ideas of what values we assign to objects and who specifically attaches value to them".  It is fascinating how $2500 cash--or really most any bulk material or product, however, that 'value' was failed to be recognized by everyone else on the streets.  The value of art is arbitrary, and it was a brazen and bold move on Chod's part to put his money where his idea was.  Chod has since continued to play with the idea of money with his art.

Well, today Chod got a taste of his own treatment . . . kind of.  Someone just released the above video on Youtube where Chod's painting was similarly purchased from a local gallery for a reported $1500, then completely painted over, and then also reportedly resold at the Melrose and Fairfax flea market for $150.

The video says that the pieces are 'art born of the same canvas', but it is not clear what the point of this takeover is.  After all, Chod's painting was completely painted over so that by selling the final piece, it only seems to say that the second image was not worth as much as the first.

M&F can confirm that Chod's painting was purchased, however, the video also implies that Chod might be somehow involved with this production.  In a rambling discourse, the description of the video on Youtube also suggests that M&F is involved in some sort of film conspiracy with Chod.  That is not true.  There is no conspiracy.  The art is what it is and we report it accordingly.  You are welcome to make up your own mind after that fact, but there is no film in the works and no image this blog is trying to put out in conjunction with Chod, or anyone else.

So what is the point of this?  Chod's seems like real art with a strong statement.  This seems like a waste of money to prove an unclear point?

Banksy Unauthenticated Street Piece Sells for $1.1 Million - The Establishment Takes Over

The LA Times is reporting that Banksy's 'Slave Labour' street art piece just sold at auction for $1.1 million dollars.

This Slave Labour piece has never been authenticated by Banksy's Pest Control team.  What is strange about this situation in particular is that the FBI and the Scotland Yard got involved in this case.  The FBI even released statements saying that "there is no evidence of criminality in the removal of this illegally painted" artwork.

Previous Banksy street pieces have failed to bring in high prices at auction because of the failure to be authenticated after being removed from the original locations.  It seems this whole thing might be an attempt to skirt Pest Control and authenticate Banksy's art through FBI statements.

Some have suggested that the FBI became involved because it had been rumored online that Slave Labour had been 'stolen' from the walls, but the sellers of Slave Labour listed at auction are the owners of the building itself where the art was first painted.  That single ownership of the chunk of wall seems like a simple fact to ascertain, therefore the rumors of the piece being stolen do not seem to warrant an investigation by the Scotland Yard and FBI.  However, since Pest Control refuses to authenticate street pieces, it seems like the statements issued by the FBI are an attempt by the establishment to circumvent Pest Control and validate Banksy's Slave Labour piece.  After all, even if Pest Control will not say the piece is legitimate, the biggest law enforcement agencies in Great Britain and American are issuing a tacit endorsement of the piece.

The establishment has now officially taken over the street art world.  Or at least endorsed it.

Of course, to throw one more piece of the puzzle into the bucket, it has long been established that Banksy is very particular about where he places street piece, and Banksy has put up art on buildings and structures owned by people with whom he has a previous relationship.  So maybe this was the way it was supposed to all happen?

Deedee Cheriel - Episodes in the Abundant Oasis

Deedee Cheriel will be opening a solo art show 'Episodes in the Abundant Crisis' at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery.

The show will feature Cheriel's influences from Indian Temple imagery, punk rock, feminism, naturalism and the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Episodes in the Abundant Crisis opens on June 22nd.

Bleepbloop at the Best Gallery

Bleepbloop is shown riding on the walls of one of the best galleries in the world for street art--the walls of Los Angeles.

Stay up~

Drink Water Not Sugar - Support Artists Not Advertising

M&F has said it before and we will say it again, advertising poses the biggest threat to street art. Bigger than the police and bigger than the buffman.

Now check out this hilarious pretenda-street art piece on Melrose.

It is located at the so-called Barracuda parking lot, or it was called that until last year when Barracuda closed up shop next door.  For years, and even since before M&F started covering the streets of Melrose and Fairfax, this particular lot has consistently been arguably the most active spot in Los Angeles.  Anyone who follows M&F knows this spot, and its relevance to the scene.

Well, a short while ago a 'street art gallery' set up shop on the other side, and began to try curating the art.  The good part is that the art still does change somewhat frequently, but the bad part is that is that the old Barracuda lot has lost its authentic street flavor.

How far has it fallen?  Well, here is a piece of pretenda-street art masquerading as real art.  It is not art.  This is an advertisement for Hint Flavored Water.  And the fact that this advertisement was dressed up as street art and invited inside this 'curated' lot amongst the regular street art murals, well, this is a prime  example of how insidious product marketing is, and how easily a gallery will bend over backwards to whore the genre for a dollar.

Indeed, drink water not suger and support artists not advertisements.

But, like the Chod piece next to it says, 'none of this is real' anyway.  Right?

If You Ever See Me In a Gallery, Burn It Down

Not everyone enjoys the gallery scene that has sprung up around Art Basel in Miami.

Here is a sticker keeping it true to the streets saying 'If you ever see me in a gallery, burn it down'.

Click the jump for more pics of this character dude around Miami.

Becca & Philip Lumbang at Copro Gallery

Becca and Philip Lumbang team up again for a show entitled 'Awesome' at the Copro Gallery in Los Angeles.

The show opens on April 20th at 8 pm and runs through May 11th.

Banksy is a Game Changer

Banksy isn't just another street artist, he is the game changer.

Recently, one of Banksy's stencils got cut out off the wall in London, and then the next week the same piece appeared at an auction house in Miami.  The 'captured' Banksy piece is scheduled to go up for sale this weekend.

Aside from accusations that taking a piece from the street is wrong, it is fascinating how the larger conversation has local British politicians tripping over words to try and get the piece back.  In an article from the The Star entitled British Neighborhood Wants Its Banksy Back, a local lawmaker Lynne Featherstone is quoted as saying “(It’s) totally unethical that something so valued should be torn without warning from its community context.”  Haha.  Never mind the ethical context of something being placed in the community without warning in the first place.  Alas, it would be a different world for street artists if only all lawmakers felt this way . . . 

Indeed, Banksy is a game changer.  His street art work has politicians lamenting the removal of his work, not the illicit act of putting it up in the first place.  Can you imagine what the walls would look like if politicians fought to protect the art work instead of buffing over it and tearing it down?  Thanks to Banksy, that might just be the future of street art.

At least for Banksy pieces~