Check it Out

Wall and Piece by Banksy. London : Century, 2005. New Books N6797.B363 A4 2005.

Book review by Jamie Lin.

“Nobody ever listened to me until they didn’t know who I was.”

When I lived in LA a few years ago, I went to a downtown warehouse after receiving a text message with the address. Banksy was in town, and in true clandestine fashion, the location of his show was a secret until just hours before it opened. I was impressed. I had never heard of Banksy, but his highly successful guerilla marketing intrigued me. I did a Google search on him and was even more impressed with the images of his work. He was a famous graffitti artist from Britain, but the work I found also included beautifully and painstakingly altered oil paintings from the previous century -- work that conveyed intelligence, humor, and political intent. Who was this guy?

The LA show was dominated by an elephant in a room. A live elephant, elaborately painted in pink, in a staged living room. Brilliant!

“I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in -- like peace and justice and freedom.”

I loved every page of Wall and Piece. Banksy’s work encompasses different styles and techniques, but all capture the mind of an engaged and passionate artist. Every image evokes a reaction from me. Some are laugh out loud funny, some are disturbing, all are clever and thought provoking. His words are just as effective.

Banksy ends this book, “People either love me or they hate me, or they don’t really care.” I’m part of the first category, and I honestly don’t know how anyone can go through this book and not have an opinion. What’s yours? Check this book out to find out!