Street Art

Street art, though still somewhat frowned upon, has recently been gaining acceptance and even popularity throughout the world. This is mostly due the overwhelming success of Banksy, the elusive and influential "guerilla artist" who uses stencils, statues, and anything else available to create his masterpieces. His unique style of dark, satirical humor has been recognized from London to Los Angeles to Palestine. His true identity is still unknown - most agree that he began his career in Bristol, England, in the 1990s, but few details are certain. You can see more of his work and learn a bit about him at his website.

Banksy created this in 2006 and placed in on a street in SoHo, London.

Banksy explains why street art is not only acceptable, it's necessary. "People are taking the piss out of you every day. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you. You, however are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity. Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at you head. You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don't owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs." 

-Banksy

In his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy describes his work as being in a "legal gray area." Street artists are always facing the risk of being caught and punished - depending on the place they choose, they could be fined or sent to jail. So why do these artists choose to work on the street, where they are more vulnerable? Their art won't be sold in auction houses or hung on walls - they produce their images purely to share them with the world, with no expectation of any kind of reward or appreciation. Street art reaches a much wider audience than more traditional gallery art. Its message is more confrontational, and forces its viewers to notice things they might have overlooked before. The artists feel so passionately about their art that they need to share it with the world, and they are willing to ignore the risks. Most street artists will never receive recognition from anyone other than pissed off authorities.

-Banksy

Austin has its own graffiti park, where it is completely legal to leave your mark. It is located near the corner of Baylor and 12th Street (just a block behind BookPeople, an amazing indie bookstore). It began as an apartment building but when construction stopped, it became a street art gallery. The art there changes daily; every time I've been, I've seen artists spraying new tags and murals onto the walls. The great thing about street art is that artists can work off of each other, using previous images as inspiration or a background for their work.

Several other iconic street art images can be found throughout Austin.

Street art is a way to celebrate the unnoticed corners of a city, to raise awareness, and to communicate dissent. Banksy describes a place where street art is valued: "Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that. Stop leaning against the wall - it's wet."

~Maya