Making sense of art and design industries

Kusann

Art is subjective area of discussion. What some view as art, might be trash to others. Other times some creations have started out as a disturbance and something negative, and has through the process come to be seen as a piece of valuable history.

Banksy is an example of that. He started out as a street artist, making pieces of graffiti that was first seen as provocative and annoying, and later became well known as a highly respected artist. To this day no one knows who he is, only that he has a natural talent as a creative soul. He can thank his well-known name to the media, as he has never been one to promote his pieces for commercial purposes, but rather stayed in the shadows and created pieces on brick walls over night when he couldn’t be seen.

The artist’s hidden identity has become a worldwide mystery that people are dying to investigate. But Banksy has probably had a hidden agenda behind reserving his identity and using the streets as his studio.

High-culture art today is generally proclaimed through well-known names of artists as well as the portrayal of their works in museums, galleries, and other exclusive locations. A lot of it is based on visibility and promotion. On that note, many of these venues require a certain ‘barrier’ for most people to access the arts. Admission fees, access to the location, transportation to the venue, as well as dress code are some of the topics that can be barriers to the public (Alexander and Bowler, 2014). In addition to this, people probably feel like they are expected to have some sort of background knowledge to understand what they are seeing (Alexander and Bowler, 2014).

In other words, as the book Art at the Crossroads depict, “fine arts venues are still frequently seen as forbidding and intimidating to the uninitiated,” (Alexander and Bowler, 2014).

In this way, Banksy has captured the public by being an accessible and visible artist without any expectations to the individual. This is an important element that brings the art to the people, uncomplicated and raw. He has also been able to take graffiti, normally seen as stigmatized vandalism, and turn it into artworks that demand respect and acknowledge. It is a true symbol that anything can be art – it just depends on how you see it.

References:

Alexander, V., Bowler, E. (2014). Art at the crossroads: The arts in society and the sociology of art. Elsevier.

Elsworth-Jones, W. (2013). Banksy: The man behind the wall. London: Aurum.

Hamilton, K. (2013, 9. Oktober). Village Voice Exclusive: An Interview with Banksy, Street Art Cult Hero, International Man of Mystery. Retrieved 1st of October, 2019, from https://www.villagevoice.com/2013/10/09/village-voice-exclusive-an-interview-with-banksy-street-art-cult-hero-international-man-of-mystery/