What is Banksy's purpose?
Considering Banksy has had so much success, I think it's safe to say most people wonder why he continues to stay anonymous. Banksy has many reasons to continue staying anonymous. The pseudonym "Banksy" was created to keep his actual identification away from authorities is Bristol and London area. I believe his primary reason to remain unidentified is because the anonymity has increased his popularity. When a Banksy construction is identified, media swarms in hopes of discovering an identification. I also believe Banksy chooses to stay unidentified because he seems to be a normal guy who likes his privacy. Simply, he is an average dude who happens to be an art genius.
We may never find out the true identification of Banksy. However, we do know the type of person he is. How? Banksy, like every human, has viewpoints. Rather than verbally communicating those, he constructs them in his art. If you were to examine his graffiti works, paintings, sculptures, etc, you would realize Banksy has common political and social themes:
Banksy also tends to take a well known painting, or quote, or image, and alter it, changing the meaning of the art 180 degrees (a great example of that is the documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop).
We may never find out the true identification of Banksy. However, we do know the type of person he is. How? Banksy, like every human, has viewpoints. Rather than verbally communicating those, he constructs them in his art. If you were to examine his graffiti works, paintings, sculptures, etc, you would realize Banksy has common political and social themes:
- anti-capitalism
- anti-fascism
- anti-imperialism
- anti-war
- anarchism
- existentialism
- anti-authoritarianism
Banksy also tends to take a well known painting, or quote, or image, and alter it, changing the meaning of the art 180 degrees (a great example of that is the documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop).
Banksy bluntly expresses his view on politics in this piece. He takes a well known saying, crosses out the final word, and with red paint, replaces it with politics. I believe red is used because red is very vibrant, and negative. It's not an adult writing it either. It's a small girl, which inserts the belief that even our youth is beginning to realize politics is fake.
In this piece, Banksy paints an early adolescent with a gas mask. It appears there is a swastika on his right arm. The quote "if at first you don't succeed, call an air strike" displays an obvious anti-war, anti-fascism, anti-authoritarian viewpoint. What hits home is again, the kid, providing the belief the government inserts that belief at a young age.
This is a great example of addressing the world's poverty and homeless problems. The man in the piece is obviously homeless considering the clothes he is wearing and the stereotypical coffee in the styrofoam cup, as well as the sign he is holding explaining he doesn't want the good samaritan to give him coins and dollar bills, rather wants the government to do something about it.
Banksy's primary reason to create his art to express his opinions and emotions to the public. But why does he express it using street art? Simply because visuals catch the average citizens eye, especially when the art is placed in a public setting, where hundreds of thousands of people pass through each day. As his pieces were receiving more and more attention, he gained the reputation of being an international icon. When Banksy realized people were interested in buying his art, he decided to complete more work on canvases so it could be easier for him to distribute and sell for top dollar. The once small-time street artist evolved into an international icon millionaire.