Monday, August 10

Bunking Off For Banksy



There is one Camera Boy in the office, diligently logging all the material from last month’s African lion trip, Miss Whiplash is on holiday and I don’t want to deal with the expenses sheets.

This morning I made a big pile of bacon sandwiches and a flask of coffee and ran away from those receipts, at 8am I joined my friends, various people armed with books and newspapers and some children playing Snap to queue for a show by our famous local boy vandal.


Banksy has been pursued for decades by 'The Authorities' for graffiti-ing around first Bristol then the rest of the world and now here he is, in our stuffy little museum, he’s filled the entrance hall with a burned out ice-cream van and binge-culture statues staggering around with their dogs and shopping, fairground music playing tinnily in the background. There are his trademark witty stencil pieces, a room of quite disturbing animatronic creatures and all the upper galleries of stuffed animals and old-fashioned paintings in big gold frames have been interfered with, here’s one of the reviews


Proper grown-up critics can dismiss Banksy as An absolute thundering backside, Charlie Brooker refers to his fat-arsed, berk-pleasing rubbishness (a lot of arse criticism then!!) but an entire road has been closed off to accommodate the queues that two months on, are not abating. The lack of subtlety in Banksy’s work is not the point - it’s funny, cartoony stuff done with great panache and a big part of Banksy's charm is that, unlike many artists, he doesn't take himself too seriously. More people have gone through the doors of our, normally moribund, local museum in the last two months than in it’s entire history and I bet the Oxfam shop opposite are still smiling at the anonymous donation they received just before the show.

21 comments:

  1. Banksy did a mural on the side of the Bethnal Green Working Men's Club. Stevie the Club Secretary sometimes wishes it had never been put there - tourists have chipped the render off the wall.

    His Paris Hilton inserts have earned my eternal respect though.

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  2. I'd be absolutely thrilled to earn the title "An absolute thundering back-side". That is wonderful!

    People can say what they want about Banksy, but there's no mistaking he has a huge, huge talent for the ridiculous.

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  3. This is art I can relate to! Cool that you get to go.

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  4. Start talking about art and people tend to get their knickers in a twist.

    Is Banksy's identity still unknown? Or was it ever inknown? If so, that's quite a trick.

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  5. Even I've heard of Banksy out here in the far corner of the USA. Cool! I love the story about the charity shop, that's absolutely awesome!

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  6. I hope the Camera Boy is logging the film and not some dreary accounting-related data.

    Likewise, I hope Miss Whiplash returns fully refreshed and relieves you of the expense reports.

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  7. i <3 banksy! xoxox

    (i'm not looking forward to expenses reports either.*sigh*)

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  8. Bansky is fantastic! Wonderfully subversive. Stuff-shirt establishment critics want 'art' they can capture tame and put to use.

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  9. Glory - it's true, people are having to nail their walls down, once Banksy's paid a visit.

    Mrs Assassin - "An absolute thundering back-side" is more accolade than insult really - you're right!

    Wow - looking at the queues I think everyone seems to have got to go. He has done similar stuff Statesie though.

    Mr Marks - I think his identity is still a secret

    Stef - the charity shop stunt was great

    xl - you worry too much about the Camera Boys, they are just grateful not to be either freezing or burning to death at the moment.


    Sav - took me ages to work out that equation!

    Jacob - I thought you'd be a Banksy fan!

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  10. Love Banksy!

    And now I'm craving bacon sandwiches and coffee. Mmmm yummy. Your blog always makes me hungry.

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  11. I might have mis-remembered this but I'm sure a while back I read that the car park in the basement of the Swiss Embassy had graffiti done by a young Banksy and it had been retained and preserved because it was so interesting - and this was before he became so well known.

    go those Swiss!

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  12. I haven't really followed his career but it's hard not to like what he does! The thing with the Tesco bag is terrific, and French Fancy's comment has made me feel very positive towards the Swiss.

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  13. I reckon he's Derren Brown.
    Sx

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  14. Pru - if you want to come and see the show I'll bring you a bacon sandwich breakfast.

    Frenchie - that's interesting - and there's me thinking the Swiss were all a bunch of dreary racist gits (except the ones who've escaped of course!!)

    Gadj - can't go quite as far as you but glad you ike the Tesco flag too.

    Scarls - another Bristol boy - but I do hope they are not the same as Derren gives me the creeps

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  15. An absolute thundering backside? Wow...this is quite a statement and so glad not directed my way. LOL.

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  16. What a great idea to donate the merchandise to sell at Oxfam!
    I like Banksy. He doesn't take neither himself nor the authorities too serious, in a very pleasant way.

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  17. Cow hadn't heard of Banksy but after reading the article you linked to and seeing the pictures, she has decided to spend a good chunk of her "office hours" to learning more about him.

    How great that he gave the charity shop a boost, that is just too cool for words.

    Banksy would be welcome to come trim Topiary anytime!

    Hope the show was as great to see in person as it was in the video!

    Moo!

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  18. Jenny - you would never be described as a backside, thundering or otherwise.

    Metmum - nice touch wasn't it?

    Mrs Cow - show was fab - glad you like him too!

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  19. Ruffling the hair and subversive, he would be of the Street art and native of Bristol, approximately 39 years the troubadour of the bonbinette!?

    His messages are we cannot any more clear!

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  20. I love Banksy! I've been following his work on Flickr for several years. I would have lined up with the rest of those folks for sure!

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  21. I'm not sure if he has been a Bonbinette Troubadour for quite that long Crabbers, but he is a funny old hair-ruffler.

    Kat - he's done some great stuff - I really liked his zoo break-ins.

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