7.3 Skills in the 21st Century
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7.3.10 Innovative Minds in Arts
Banksy (???)
In a nutshell: anonymous British street artist and political activist, worth £40 million through his graffities
His famous works:
- Satirical street art
- Dark humour
- Graffities:
- Rick Shaw
- Think Outside the Box
- Follow Your Dreams
- Zebra
- Season
He said:
| "There are four basic human needs; food, sleep, sex and revenge.”
“A lot of people never use their initiative because no-one told them to.” “Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they're having a piss.” |
His method:
- He combines three different factors: graffiti, political statements and anonymity. He is famous not because of his graffities, but because of his bold messages
- His anonymity has made him more interesting and desirable
- Sometimes he includes objects into his composition, which are already on the scene, for example street signs
- His themes have political messages against war, inequality, air pollution, politics and others. His characters depict poverty, despair, hypocrisy, greed, and boredom
- He uses uncommon methods to market his works. In 2013 he disguised himself as a street vendor and set up a stand in Central Park, where he sold some of his original paintings for $60. Only eight pieces of art were sold. The following day, Banksy verified them on his website, alongside the message: “Yesterday I set up a stall in the park selling original signed Banksy canvases." A year later one of them was sold for £56 250.
- Though he himself remains anonymous, he likes publicity around his stunts, very much. In 2018 one of his artwork was sold for 1.04 million British Pound. Right after the hammer came down, the print of Banksy’s 2006 began to pass through a shredder built into the frame. This stunt made him even more famous.
Key takeaway:
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