BIG LIFE Magazine BIG LIFE Magazine Edition N°11 - November | Page 46

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dossier > art
Street
Art
PARAFRASEANDO A PICASSO «EL IMPULSO DE DESTRUIR
TAMBIÉN ES UN IMPULSO CREATIVO». DICHO Y HECHO. BANKSY
QUE CON SU ARTE POLITIZÓ LA CULTURA DEL GRAFFITI
HOY HA CONSEGUIDO ESTAR EN BOCA DE TODOS.
street art by banksy the artist who rose to fame
politicizing the graffiti culture is back on every-
one´s lips. > Fame, galleries and money have become
synonyms of success in the art world. Few, however,
have been credited with changing the artistic paradigm
and make us question its meaning. Banksy is one of
those. Without a face or official name, his defiance of
the classic concept of art and his ability to remain com-
pletely anonymous have made him one of the most
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famous modern artists. But, who is Banksy? What is
the true value of his art? How coherent is his political
and social message? We have been asking these ques-
tions since the 1990s. Bristol, a small city in northern
England with apparently nothing special, is, however,
one of the most visited places by tourists in the United
Kingdom. The reason? It is rumored this is where this
famous graffiti artist grew up and where several of his
works and messages can be found. From Bristol to Lon-
don and from London to the rest of the world, Banksy´s
art has become a phenomenon for its unexpected mes-
sages and his nearly mythological identity. Policemen
kissing, rats holding banners, monkeys with weapons
of mass destruction…this artist uses irony and satire
in his critique of international conflicts. After starting
his career with big letter murals in the New York graffiti
style, it didn´t take him long to create his famous sten-
cils, a technique that allows him to work quickly to avoid