BANKSY: Genius or Vandal?

On Tuesday the 10th of November, grade 9 and 10 art students went on a trip to the Asia-Pacific Trade Center (ATC) museum to see the Banksy Exhibition. Banksy is an anonymous British street artist, who famously uses spray paint and stencils to create anti-authoritarian art pieces.

Some of Banksy’s famous artworks include Balloon Girl (2002) and Love is in the Air (2003), and he commonly uses rats, monkeys, or policemen to convey his messages. However, spray paint and graffiti are not his only art mediums and some of his lesser-known works, such as Dismaland, feature sculpture instead of two-dimensional words and images. Opened to the public in 2015, Dismaland was a parodic replica of Disneyland: instead of being “The Happiest Place On Earth”, it is full of installations that develop themes of anti-consumerism and feature social critiques of topics ranging from celebrity culture to law enforcement. However, these sculptures are not only by Banksy but also by 58 other artist friends of his, including Damien Hirst, Mike Ross, and Caitlyn Cherry. 

Ms. Nicole Panoho, OYIS's grade 9 and 10 art teacher, told us that the upcoming art unit would be related to graffiti art and "how public spaces can be used to communicate to a wider audience about social problems." It just so happened that Banksy, a well-known and respected street artist known for his anti-authoritarian art, had an exhibition nearby, with perfect timing.

When Ms. Nicole was asked which artwork was her favorite, she stated that she liked the artworks with rats in particular. "I just think they're cute," she says, "but in general I like his work that says, 'Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock.'"

We also asked students what they thought and found impressive from the exhibition:

Dennis from grade 10 remarked that "the incorporation of social issues in his artworks was very interesting to me," while Elliot, also from grade 10, said that he "liked all the different kinds of art styles he uses to portray his messages." Joshua from grade 10 added, "I liked that all of his artworks were very humorous."

Personally, after having visited the Banksy exhibition, I found myself enjoying and agreeing with most of the messages that the artworks convey. Works of his often criticize consumerism and the inevitable hierarchy that exists within our society. I recognize that these ideas may be controversial, and not everybody may agree. However, one of the bigger reasons why I enjoyed this exhibition so much is the fact that the artworks call out issues such as authoritarianism and has a certain rebellious feel that brought me excitement and resonance.

Information taken from ThisisColossal.com and Britannica.com.