outside the gallery

Banksy is a British graffiti artist whose identity is enigmatically debated and disputed. He uses stencils and graffiti writing to create his works, which have appeared in many cities around the world. These works are most often of a satirical nature, critiquing politics, culture and our postmodern world. Although Banksy primarily works in the street, his fame has lead him to the gallery, where his pieces sell for high prices. Such high profile works as his images on the West Bank wall have contributed to his rising fame.

In this piece, Banksy uses an existing window form to outline his faux-ATM. The ATM’s capture of the little girl mirrors her future as a consumer in a money-driven society. In this work, Banksy worked entirely from stencils.

This piece also involves children, and deals with the mistrust of all individuals in a highly monitored society. The preposterous nature of the young girl, with the teddy bear and little backpack, being frisked by the huge policeman highlights the problems Banksy sees in his society.

Banksy’s work also plays with how graffiti fits under the title of “Art,” as seen in the work above. While Banksy’s stencil is accepted as art, the writing on the wall (not by Banksy), is not. However, by adding his stencil to the wall, he questions the acceptance of his work and not the others.