Tag: banksy View All Tags

You Can Get Anything You Want at Banksy's Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

October 12, 2008 at 3:10 PM | 0 Comments

Who really cares if legendary guerrilla street artist Banksy has been unmasked or not? Regardless of whether we know his identity, the guy's still turning out sage social commentary in the form of both graffiti and studio art at a blistering pace in venues around the world. His latest official foray into the quasi-gallery scene is in New York, where his Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill questions the modern world's relationship with animals and the morality of factory farming. The faux pet shop in the West Village is filled with animatronic installations designed to elicit double- and triple-takes from casual viewers. In one exhibit, a pair of chicken nuggets with legs dip themselves in sauce as a rooster looks on from a doghouse, just like in real life. Another shows fish sticks swimming in a fish bowl, in an amusing take on people's strange aversion to the fishy taste of seafood. Perhaps most powerful is a pearl-adorned rabbit beautifying herself with an assortment of cosmetics in front of a vanity mirror. It's true, rabbits love makeup. If you're in the city, drop by the shop at 89 Seventh Avenue South until October 31, 2008, or view a few good photos here and a nifty video here.

[Photo: Wooster Collective]

Related Stories:
· The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill [Official Site]
· Banksy [Official Site]
· Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill Opens in New York City [Wooster Collective]
· In Pictures: Banksy's Pet Shop [BBC News]
· Banksy Coverage [Jaunted]

Hurricane Travel: Banksy Tags New Orleans

August 28, 2008 at 2:45 PM | 0 Comments

Whether we know who he is or not, Banksy is still out there making guerilla street art. And his latest paintings have shown up in New Orleans, on the eve the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall--and as Tropical Storm Gustav is taking aim at the gulf shore.

While some of the new stencils directly address The Storm, others make reference to an anti-graffiti crusader in town. Which is fitting, since at least one of Banksy's murals has already been painted over.

Related Stories:
· Hurricane Banksy--Category 5! [Flickr]
· Banksy Does New Orleans [Gawker]
· Street Art coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: infrogmation2]

Graffiti Travel: Banksy Unmasked?!

July 15, 2008 at 10:05 AM | 0 Comments

Reporters at the UK newspaper Mail On Sunday announced this past weekend that they've found the true identity of the world's most prolific and no-doubt-wealthy guerrilla street artist, Banksy. Well known for celebrity fans like the newly twinned Brangelina, as well as inspiring political street art, Banksy's secret identity has been the cornerstone of his work worldwide, allowing him to create in public spaces without legal repercussions.

MOS identifies Banksy to be one Robin Gunningham, from Bristol, England. His family was one of modest means, but he attended the buttoned-up, $20,000 a year Bristol Cathedral School in his formative years.

What is certain is that Banksy's individual style is still one of the most widely recognized in the world. He has imposters by the dozens, but no one captures the political acuity that Banksy does. We hope whether or not this story is confirmed as true, it opens doors for street art to become more widely accepted by the authorities. And who knows, maybe it means more Banksy for the rest of us.

Related Stories:
· Graffiti Artist Banksy Unmasked [MOS]
· Graffiti coverage [Jaunted]