The Wisdom Of Banksy
What I saw: The Art of Banksy; Unauthorized Private Collection (San Francisco exhibit at the Palace of Fine Arts). Attended December 26, 2021.
I just returned from seeing this art exhibit of privately owned Banksy works and it moved me enough to want to write about the experience. If you have a chance to see this exhibit, do it. It’s beautifully laid out with great bits of interspersed text and video clips of an interview with someone who worked closely with Banksy as his printmaker among other things.
If you’re not familiar with Banksy, you can read more about him on this Wikipedia page and here are his Instagram and official website.
While the art itself is remarkable for its subversive brilliance, scattered throughout the exhibit were quotes from Banksy. Being the quote and aphorism collector that I am, I was as excited by them as I was by the art itself.
I snapped photos of some of the quotes that punctuated the exhibit. These are the ones that resonated with me most strongly. This one is now among my favorites.
If you feel dirty, insignificant or unloved, then rats are a good role model. They exist without permission, they have no respect for the hierarchy of society, and they have sex 50 times a day.
The moment I read that quote I turned to one of my friends I was with and said “I already know this is going to become one of my favorite quotes.” Why?
As a gay, HIV+, polyamorous, and openly sexually adventurous man, I have dealt with people casting harsh aspersions upon me, trying to make me feel dirty and wrong. When I was younger those barbs hurt more than they do today, but anyone who is an “other” deals with such judgments, and there are many kinds of others in the world who feel marginalized, shunned, and judged. They should all be able to exist without permission. They should not feel obligated to honor a socially constructed hierarchy when the truth is we’re all equal and deserve equal treatment. As for sex, I’ve always been an advocate for everyone having as much of whatever kind of consensual sex they want. Frequently I’ve joked that if everyone was having as much of the kind of sex they wanted with whoever they wanted, the world would be a much kinder and more peaceful place. I stand by that contention.
This one is from Banksy’s book, Wall and Piece.
When the time comes to leave, just walk away quietly and don’t make a fuss.
I can’t be sure what was in Banksy’s head when he said this. Well, the truth is I’m assuming a lot with all of the quotes I’ve used in this post. But for me, what Banksy is saying is that when it’s time for us to leave, be that a relationship, a workplace, or a contentious social situation, it’s best to just walk away quietly and not make a big fuss over it.
Someone trashes you on social media? Don’t take the bait. Others following you on the platform will respect you for it. You’re fired from a job unfairly? Maybe get in a quick “fuck you” on the way out the door if you want, but otherwise just walk away and find a better job. A relationship repeatedly sours with little hope of improvement? Walk away. You don’t have to be an ass about it, but you also don’t have to deal with that relationship any longer if you don’t want to.
For this next quote I’m going to take a wild stab at its interpretation.
There is nothing more dangerous than someone who wants to make the world a better place.
I imagine this pertains to those people and movements out to make the world a better place, but only within their narrow view of what better might be. Humility is a character trait I try to embody, and sometimes true humility means you have to admit you don’t have all the answers, you don’t know what’s best for everyone else, and perhaps the cause about which you are passionate doesn’t match up with everyone else’s needs.
Think of the anti-abortion crusader whose views clash directly with the pro-choice crowd. Think of the highly religious who consider it their mission to convert everyone they can to their own spiritual leanings even if the other person might benefit from a different religion, or no religion or faith whatsoever. Think of the right-wing political operative who remains steadfast in their highly conservative principles while those on the left seek to push back against those principles in favor of a more people-centric worldview. All of these groups believe they are making the world a better place. Sometimes unfettered passion for something leads to extreme outcomes that would be better tempered by some humility for opposing opinions.
Rampant capitalism and the social injustices that manifest from its profit-seeking structure are topics Banksy tackles frequently. This quote was on the gallery wall in approximately this format.
There’s an elephant in the room.
There’s a problem that we never talk about.The fact is that life isn’t getting any fairer.
- 1.7 Billion people have no access to clean drinking water.
- 20 Billion people live below the poverty line.
- Every day hundreds of people are made to feel physically sick by morons at art shows telling them how bad the world is but never actually doing something about it.Anybody want a free glass of wine?
Banksy, Los Angeles 2006
And there was this one.
We can’t do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves.
Wealth inequality is at the forefront of social and political discussion lately, and rightly so. It’s the core cause of so many of society’s ills. Runaway capitalism has created those 20 billion people living below the poverty line. Some of those same incredibly wealthy people Banksy has disdain for frequent the mainstream galleries and art shows offering highly priced art. (And yes, the irony that many of Banksy’s works have sold for millions does not escape me.) Certain art might speak to the world’s problems in eloquent ways, but the wealthy simply purchase that artwork without lifting a finger to improve the lives of those affected by the social ill being highlighted. At least I think that’s what Banksy is getting at.
I loved this quote because I have so often quoted it opposite from Warhol.
In the future everyone will be anonymous for 15 minutes.
This is clearly a counterpoint statement to the much referenced “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” by Andy Warhol. Maybe Banksy meant to point out that fame isn’t all it’s purported to be sometimes. Anonymity has its own allure. Perhaps rather that always touting fame as a goal we should also encourage anonymity. Fame as a goal is rather vacuous anyway. Maybe that’s something Banksy wanted us to realize.
This one encapsulates Banksy’s body of work entirely for me.
Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.
This is why art should always be given extreme latitude for its content. Artists often lead social thinking on issues. Art can address an important issue directly in ways that typical discourse does not readily allow, especially when the issue is controversial or on the cutting edge of social advancement.
Let me end by encouraging you to add art into your life. Go to a museum. Buy art from a street artist. Visit gallery art show openings. Make art yourself. Everyone can make art. Really. The art you create may never be seen by anyone but you, and that’s fine. Creation is its own reward. Every endeavor need not always be to create something the public will pay for and consume.
Twyla Tharp of deserved dance and choreography fame once said this.
Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.
Go on an adventure by making art and celebrating the art of others.
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