Legendary graffiti artist Banksy has a new exhibition, Crude Oils, at
100 Westbourne Grove, W2, featuring his altered recreations of classic paintings and sculptures...and over 150 live rats.

I went to the opening with my brother last night and, although small, it's well worth a look if you're in the area. A lot of the stuff on show can be seen on his website, and you will have to put up with the rats around your feet (they're not kept separate...and they smell), but it's nice to see the pieces up close. It's on for the next two weeks. In the meantime, here's a little something to give you a flavour...

Might make the effort to go to that, I walk past a number of Banksy works every day on the way to work and have always enjoyed his look on things

Aww, I love that one. I used to have that as my avatar on a different forum.

I am very tempted to go - it looks like a very entertaining show.

I too am a fan of his work- it'd be great to see those paintings up close - surely he's more about the message, than being able to work well with oils. I was originally skeptical because of the hype, but he's clearly ahead of other 'culture jamming' artists.

It is a 'he', yeah?

I favour the acid smiley riot police. Though the new cashpoint one is great. Does he do those stencil ones as well? If so girl with red ballon is fab.

awww. i wish i was in london. guess i can't complain too much though as i'm in bristol and get to see quite a lot of his stuff anyway.

my favourite has to be the bleeding pink car with the grim reaper(ish) thing driving!

I love the big piece on gloucester road, with the teddy and the molotov.

Yeah, me too ... heard it was gonna get painted over as part of development works so snapped it . . .


http://www.flickr.com/photos/benbywater/54581906

It is a he.

I must go and see this. Did a lecture last year on public art, framed by the work of Banksy!!

No doubt many have seen This




...but for those that haven't. Click on the right hand side of the page for a little video

C

I love those pieces. I like the story about the old man who came up and spoke with him - something like:

Man: You make the wall look beautiful.
Banksy: Thank you.
Man: No. We hate this wall. We don't want it to look beautiful.

no! they can't do that. there would be outrage.

the photos not working by the way.

Raising the Banksy thread to show you this brilliance....





Soho Square - today!

That's really awesome.

Wow, that's really fantastic.

Damn, I would have gone to see that if I'd know!

Yeah, I don't fancy my chances heading down after work...I might give it a go anyway, it's on the way to Tom's (ie South).

I do like Banksys work. Got Wall and Piece for Christmas, where it shows all the Isreali wall paintings mentioned earlier in the thread. You've got to wonder how long it took to paint the scenes in the background, unless they were pasted on and painted around I suppose.

I picked up a copy of Wall and Piece just after Christmas.

It's an excellent book, and very thought provoking, but at the same time I still have the vague feeling that he's taking the piss out of me for thinking that way and having bought it . . .

Yeah, maybe, but the pictures are nice.

Went round to my brother's house last night...I don't think I'd appreciated just how much graffiti art he has. He's got the Banksy's Happy Chopper, little girl hugging the bomb, the trip-face riot police, and Diana £10 note, a signed Faile print of the girl with the rabbit, 4 other Faile prints, and the D-Face banknote.

So cool.

Artist's cold call cuts off phone.

Some poeple need to get out more . . .

Christina buys a Banksy

He-hey! It suits her. Coincidentally, I almost put that as my avatar yesterday afternoon.

its dirrrrrty! thats why she bought it

I was in Soho Square last night and didn't see it. Either I'm totally blind or it has moved.

It was removed within hours, I think. I went down after work on that day just on the off chance, but it was gone.

The little rascal's been at it again . . .

Very good! (as was the Paris Hilton CD swap, last week, as well).

Looks like it could be an interesting weekend in LA

Excellent stuff.

The world needs more Banksys.

I'd second that, he really is a clever ole stick.

I was going to say something along the lines of 'The world could do with more Ades too,' but that would come out terribly wrong!


Wife Of Rolex

The Paris Hilton CD with dogs head thing was hilarious! I would kill to have one of those.

Banksy along with Shrigley are fast competing as my favourite modern artists.

Sefi x

You'd need to kill someone with more than £455 (at the time of me posting this):

Not that I'm condoning killing or anything but I wouldn't mind one either

Heehee. That's a phenomenal price. And a little bit of genius at that.

Charlie Brooker says Banksy's work "looks dazzlingly clever to idiots".

God, I love Charlie Brooker.

Me too, laughed my arse off reading it over lunch.

'Banksy? You absolute thundering backside.'

The man insults like no other.

I laughed too. I do like Bansky though. He's not a genius, but I like his stencils!

Well, like anything that gets too popular it's time for the backlash to start.

I like that a comment that inturn insults some fellow forum members gets an equal level of praise than the works and wares of the person the comment is about.


Wife Of Rolex

Forum is fickle.

Whether or not you like Banksy, that's still a frigging hilarious article. I laughed my arse off.

Same here. Especially at Blur's Think Tank, "a useless bumdrizzle of an album".

His descriptions just kill me. Genius.

I think you're being a little over-sensitive there. It's a funny article; the fact that I think Banksy is the proverbial naked emperor doesn't mean I don't like people who like his work.

No I was being ironic...I think. It was just a comical observation. Wasn't at all being oversensitive. Hell I'd rip the piss out of more people if I was as funny.


Wife Of Rolex

That was how I'd read it too. Maybe to avoid all these misconstrued posts and unnecessary confusion, we'll have to reformat our posts from now on, in the following fashion:



* blatant tongue-in-cheek smilie/winkie/whateverie, to neutralise impending StellaWrath™ *


"Actually, that would make posting on the forum rather fun, don't you think?", ruminated Ade, scratching his forehead. He paused for the briefest of moments, before finally clicking the 'Add Reply' button.

Feckin' double post, argh! The forum's behaving a bit weird tonight. This post hasn't even been registered on the board index at the moment - WTF?

Bizarre.

, laughed Wife Of Rolex most heartily.


It was just the mental image of Charlie Brooker standing at a wicker window and telling a crowd, 'You're all idiots!' and them responding with, 'Yes, we are all idiots!' that made me chuckle. Though he didn't have his bollocks out.

Banksy's version probably would've been just a clever perspective spray painting with a speech bubble with the words, 'If you read this you are gay' on a high wall.


Wife Of Rolex, mused.