arts. writing. culture.

Anyone who says that graffiti isn’t artwork because it’s done on the side of a building has another thing coming.  I, like many others, have been a long-time fan of the street artist known as Banksy.  Unfortunately, part of one of the artist’s famous murals was “accidentally” painted over in black this week by Hackney Council in London.

Acknowledged internationally, Banksy is prevalent in the streets of England where you can come across his beautiful artwork on your way to work that wasn’t there the day, or even night, before.  Controversial, political, cultural, yet always talked about.

Letters for permission to paint over this mural,  initially commissioned by British super-group Blur for their “Crazy Beat” single in 2003, were sent by the Council to the wrong address.  After receiving no response, they served an enforcement notice, allowing workers to paint without the required permissions from the owner of the privately-owned building.  Luckily, when Sofie Attrill noticed the mishap, workers were stopped in time to save part of the artwork.  It is unknown what will become of the remaining pieces or if there will be any attempts at restoration made.

Banksy, though thoroughly famed at this point, is still quite a mystery to fans and enemies alike.  The artwork of the anonymous artist started popping up throughout Bristol and London getting notice for both provocative subject matters and his unique stenciling techniques.  Some called it vandalism; some called it art.  And in some cases, contrary to the reputation of graffiti, no one had the heart to rid the streets of it. Working in the shadows of the night, his many times three-dimensional-looking projects are awe-inspiring and make you take a second look—either because it looks deceptively real or because it’s simply thought-provoking.

I always found his work to be quietly breathtaking.  My favorite: