He’s lived in anonymity for two decades, but the popular English street artist Banksy is now making his mark on New York City with his “Better Out Than In” residency. His controversial yet stunning displays have graced a variety of mediums all across the world and now for the entire month of October, he will unveil the location of a new creation every day in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn via his blog. With the NYPD hot on his trail, fans of the artist rush to each new installation for fear it will be covered up, or worse, tagged over.
The street artist’s trademark dark humor and political activism coupled with stenciled imagery and bold graffiti enrages some, while stimulating many. “Graffiti does ruin people’s property,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in press conference. Needless to say, the Mayor and police force are on the case, working to stop the iconic artist regardless of his level of fame. But that’s not stopping the people of NYC from enjoying it while they can.
Williamsburg store owner, Jose Goya, who now covets a Banksy original wall installment told Reuters, “Somebody offered me a million dollars if I took down the bricks.” Instead, Goya preserved the piece in Plexiglas.
The people and visitors of NYC are going into Banksy mania trying to keep up with the artist’s newest installments and whereabouts. He stunned fans by erecting a pop-up stand in Central Park and selling original canvas pieces for $60. Several of the pieces were then sold at auction via Sotheby’s for nearly $2 million.
Since “Better Out Than In” began on Oct. 1, Banksy has shown expertly executed stenciling, live installments and larger than life murals. Without a doubt, the month of Banksy will continue to be dramatic, eye opening and nothing short of brilliantly relevant displays of artistry.
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