Friday 25 September 2009

sart innit

I was in the Museum the other day, looking at some drawings. It was nice to be able to get in there again, after the long summer of the Banksy exhibition, and I popped upstairs to say hello to the stuffed animals, several of which have found their way into my own drawings.

And then I met Sandra and had a cup of tea while talking about Banksy and stuff. Sandra thought that it was a Good Thing that the museum had thrown its doors open to Banksy, as his stuff is very Now, and Vernacular, and Street. (I hope I'm not misrepresenting you too much, S...). I'm less sure; it seemed to me a bit like repressive tolerance. Out on the streets, the City Council no longer automatically paint over graffiti; they must first determine whether it is art. And if it is art, it stays. At least, if the people who are paid to determine whether it is art, say that it is.

Coincidentally, young Katie was recently fizzing and popping about developments at school.

Last year, the children had asked for a graffiti wall.

They have finally been granted one.

A graffiti artist was paid to come in and paint the graffiti wall for them.






8 comments:

  1. Ah! There must be a communication problem at the school. We never got our 'mural wall' at our school.

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  2. Banksy isn't that "now" any more. The exhibition at the RWA in Spring was a lot more "now" and a lot more "bristol". And a bit more groundbreaking too.

    Poor Katie. D says his teachers "were donkeys" though I don't think he means that literally. Perhaps some of their descendants teach at Katie's school.

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  3. My school was good in that they displayed the art produced by pupils, Anji; I'm not sure that a space where 'permitted' graffiti is an advance on that, other than that it would allow the artists to be self-selecting.
    Yes, Liz; the RWA felt edgier, but I'm still a little concerned at this business of establishments appropriating something that can and perhaps should be subversive; the school missed the point spectacularly, of course.

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  4. I thought of you when I saw this...
    http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2009/10/04/129-banksy/

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  5. That's a terrific link, Paul! Thank you

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