Love it or loathe it, graffiti is endemic in most cities in the world. Some consider it vandalism, others consider it street art. Invariably, it is a form of protest, whether it be the simple tag - 'Kilroy was here' - or the more elaborate slogans that inveigh against capitalism, the war in Iraq, animal rights, or whatever other issue concerns its author.
The art versus vandalism debate took a new turn last week, with a work by a man who goes under the pseudonym 'Banksy' having sold at Sotheby's auction house in London for GBP102,000 (HK$1.55 million), double its pre-sale estimate.
Entitled Bombing Middle England, it depicts three old women engaged in the genteel sport of bowling, except the bowls are actually bombs.
Banksy began his career spray-painting in his home city of Bristol but his ambition has taken him far and wide. His stencilled, incisive images have appeared on the Palestinian side of the Gaza wall and in Mexico. He once climbed into the penguin enclosure at London Zoo and left the message, 'We're bored of fish' in huge letters.
It is perhaps this accessibility and sense of humour that have led to his popularity. It's reported that the Hollywood couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie paid GBP200,000 for one of his pieces.
And a couple from Bristol are prepared to give their house away to anyone prepared to buy the 8-metre by 2-metre mural Banksy painted on one of the exterior walls. Most prospective purchasers had demanded the artwork be removed before completing a sale but the owners have detected a cultural shift regarding graffiti. The British Museum exhibits some of his work.
