The world-famous street artist (who’s also a massive hit in galleries and auction houses) returned from a long hiatus with a series of graffiti on different sites of British seaside towns. He recently declared ownership of the pieces via a short film on Instagram and now the world is raving over the pieces that have turned regular walls into potential tourist attractions and places of cultural significance. Why? Because Banksy’s popularity automatically makes his works of art worthy of global attention and praise. The weight of a celebrity speaks for itself. Our society is fascinated by them and more so by a person whose identity we don’t know.
Banksy is the unmatched genius of marketing. His commercial strategies shave proved effective every time and his newest exhibition (Is it even an exhibition? Collection? Does it even matter?) is no exception because it gets talked about constantly. I’m doing it right now, promoting his work for free even when I don’t necessarily like it. While the concepts behind his pieces are striking and thought-provoking sometimes, that doesn’t seems to be the case in the “Great British Spraycation.”
If this was just the artist having fun on vacation knowing he could promote his brand in the process, then the playful tone of the pieces fits well and makes for a cohesive project, and I won’t discard the theory because there just isn’t much to say about the individual works themselves. Banksy’s team does know how to select the right location for the pieces and they incorporate the environment into the composition seamlessly, creating an accessible experience for viewers. But so does every other street artist. Banksy is often labeled as an activist whose works have a strong political message, usually defying the system (while being a part of that system, of course), but none of that is present in the latest exhibition. Sure, not every piece of his needs to follow that formula, but when I try to identify the concept behind the pieces I don’t find anything compelling. These pieces are merely decorative, fun, not special. They’ll become special in the auction houses eventually, because when it comes to Banksy, there’s always a lot of money involved. It just seems ridiculous for any of the latest pieces to be assigned the value of an artistic masterpiece, but that’s what usually happens in the world of modern art.
The graffiti collection wasn’t completely dull. ‘We’re All in the Same Boat’ uses the environment in a clever way and the message is relevant considering how everybody has been going through an extremely difficult time over the last two years. The artist encourages empathy and solidarity in a playful way.
The giant seagull about to feast on a pile of trash also stood out because of it sheds light on how wildlife is threatened by our consistent and irresponsible contamination. Seagulls are known for picking up trash and mistaking it for food and we’re the ones to blame for it. This piece has a stronger impact than a sign on the beach saying “Don’t Litter,” but that’s about it.
“Luxury Rentals Only” shows a group of hermit crabs denying other crabs entry to their luxury homes. It’s comical at a first glance but I has darker undertones hinting to strict immigration policies and the housing crisis. Still, the attempt lacks strength and fails at evoking any emotion besides amusement.
The rest of the pieces are unremarkable. A laidback rack drinking a cocktail is a fun sight to see on a bland wall but it’s nothing memorable, just more casual graffiti, like the people dancing over a bus stop or an oversized grabber crane above a bench. They’re interesting only for a few seconds and make their surroundings a little more lively but nothing more is accomplished. Maybe the artist never intended for his latest pieces to be more than street decorations. The hype around Banksy seems exaggerated — but who is to blame? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say, and so is its market value. I’d be disappointed if any of the pieces gathers a fortune at Christie’s or Sotheby’s, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
