Graffiti artist Banksy's month in New York a giant social experiment
British graffiti artist's month-long 'residency' in Big Apple was part art fair, part social experiment in which New Yorkers were in the rat's maze
It has been a perfect tempest in a teapot, the distracting, frothy combination of art, money, celebrity and urban exploit that Banksy has brought to New York. This British graffiti artist, purported millionaire, activist, filmmaker and prankster spent the last month roaming the city, perpetuating what is - depending upon your point of view - street art, political resistance or vandalism.
It began on October 1 when Banksy's website announced a month-long "artist's residency" entitled "Better Out Than In". The website said that each day of October, Banksy would unveil a work somewhere in the five boroughs and announce its location online. The works would take various forms - "elaborate graffiti, large scale street sculpture, video, installation and substandard performance art" - according to an e-mail from a representative of Banksy to The Village Voice.
Banksy madness ensued, on the street and even more in the media, as if October were, somehow, a slow news month. It didn't hurt that Banksy is one of the few graffiti artists whose work has been successfully monetized - with high prices paid at auction for prints and occasional paintings, as well as for pieces of Banksy-limned walls.
In addition, he seems to have a kind of genius for self-promotion. His anonymity, his anti-establishment views, his terse quotations all contribute to the Banksy mystique and brand.
The project attracted scores of devoted fans intent on a glimpse of their hero or his work, people seeking new selfie opportunities and those intrigued by the prospect of seeing someone chance on some money. It has also resembled an extended joke on the art world: a widely dispersed art fair played out in fits and starts.