Last blog question for semester one - Banksy's work

How can we categorize Banksy's work -graffiti or murals?

banksy's work is very much related to politics and their game of playing around with our lives like a ball of string, eventually there wont be anything left of life, he incorporates, courts filled with chimpanzees and graffiti can wielding chimpanzees. His work can be describe as both random and simple, depending on how you see art through your eyes. Banksy's work is very grungy and almost messy, but we can tell a lot of time and preparation has been put into each work of art.

What are some of the differing opinions about Banksy's work?

His way of portraying politics with a humorous side is a great way to attract the audience and leave them searching for more. He assaults you with the fact that it's graffiti. So it's not permanent, it's slightly illegal. Secondly, it's graphic visually. He mixes up a variety of styles from urban to stenciled imagery to create provocative statements that challenge us socially to think more in depth about the artwork. His visuals and text provide us with puns that have more than one layer of consciousness. The joke makes us think twice about the message of his works. He challenges us about socially relevant issues, about art, about politics, about what we perceive to be important. This is what art truly is about.

How does his work sit in relation to consumerism?

Banksy’s work has been said to almost never be on sale. But his works are often put onto t shirts and other various items but Banksy does not gain any profit from these.

Can his work be sold?

Banksy’s work is not for sale on a regular basis. Banksy does not sell any products there for he does not gain profit for anything that is sold, you could say, 'in his name'. Banksy does not do commercial works. Also his works are placed around the country on various buildings, objects and walls that he may or may not own. Although one of the ways Banksys art is often sold is through street auctions.

Who is Banksy? Do we know his true identity?

Banksy’s identity still remains anonymous to the world. With out the artist, we are left to think who is responsible for these amazing works of art and will we ever know who Banksy really is? While there has been alot of questions as to the true identity on Banksy, an official quote on Banksy’s website stated “I am unable to comment on who may or may not be Banksy, but anyone described as being 'good at drawing' doesn't sound like Banksy to me.” Does this mean that the website is not even run by him? Will we ever be privileged to see him.

The 3 Pieces i have chosen are

'Art and Thieves go hand in hand'

A stencil of two constable's, perhaps hey are looking for the culprit, he is toying with the law by stenciling the very force that puts an end to many graffiti artists. He is lucky to be such a renowned artist.

'A self-portrait, featuring a stencil of a chimp's head'

This is a self portrait done for Simon cowell, American idol judge, Sony approached Banksy to depict Simon cowell as a stern-faced judge in a reproduction of one of his favourite pieces of art - and Cowell's delighted with the finished result "Sony wanted something totally unique and special to give to Simon - but he's not the easiest man to buy for. He's a secret art collector and loves the work of Edgar Degas - plus he's a huge fan of Banksy."

'Question time'

This artwork shows a court room filled with Chimpanzees rather than politicians, this is very clever as he is possibly referring to politicians as chimpanzees. They fight and fight over over something only to make things worse between them.

(http://www.banksy.co.uk/indoors/greenriotcops.html)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy)

(http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://www.arton-canvas-prints.co.uk/banksy-prints/banksy-not%2520simon%2520cowell.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.arton-canvas-prints.co.uk/banksy-prints/banksy-prints-simon-cowell.htm&usg=__UC8gXvzKgWXvpt8LR3qRr9jzKUk=&h=461&w=468&sz=43&hl=en&start=6&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=8mq9vs4vK2KrmM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbanksy%2Bmonkey%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4GGLL_enNZ347NZ348%26tbs%3Disch:1)

'Memorial Project Nha Trang, Vietnam' (2001)

This project was originally planned out to be a solo performance of Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba pulling a cyclo suspended in a large water tank which then escalated into a video of 6 cyclos riders in the sea, with the whole thing being filmed entirely underwater, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba’s 13-minute video shows a strange yet familiar feat of six Vietnamese fisherman pulling cyclos along the sea bed. Filmed in 2001 off the coast of Southeast Vietnam this work of art will engage with the viewer letting them visually dive into the what and whitness the fishermens Silent duty, through the water.


Its almost as if it is a ghost town with the blue tinted look of the water and the still/slow images of the fishermen. 'I wanted to create a cyclo museum. That idea actually led me to this video. Cyclos are still refurbished if anyone needs them fixed; however, this happens less and less'
So in fact, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba was stearing towards this style even before he started to create the work.

Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba’s video work, Memorial Project Nha Trang, Vietnam: Towards the Complex—For the Courageous, the Curious, and the Cowards, was first video work and offers captivating images of local fishermen pulling cyclo underwater toward an area where the artist had about thirty stretched out mosquito nets across the sea bed. The cyclos, deep underwater, represent the weight of tradition and reference Vietnam’s historical past in the context of the country’s struggle with the processes of modernization.

This piece of work could almost be said to be about modernism, with the decline in the use of veitnams unique transportation device, the cyclo, Nguyen-Hatushiba seeks to immortalise the vehicle in their work. Like a statement against Modernism, saying that progress is not necessary in some cases and if it continues at this rate, Vietnam could lose an important cultural icon.

His work has a very spiritual connection to many things beyond his work. He mentioned that he got a supernatural feeling when filming this, 'I remember getting goose bumps looking down at the bottom of the ocean where we had placed the mosquito nets. I interpret goose bumps as an interaction with the supernatural.'

So the title has its hidden meanings in relation to the work, ‘Towards the Complex-For the Courageous, the Curious and the Cowards’ this title could mean many things, ‘Courageous' symbolizes the cyclos riders for carrying on their cultural tradition even though they know they will struggle along the path to bring back the 'cyclos' heading towards the complex filled with 30 mosquito nets this depicts the safe haven from modernisation. ‘Curious’ describes the audiences reaction towards this bizzare sight of underwater cyclos. ‘Cowards’ is refering to the people who have struggled to hold on to their traditions in order to adapt new eras of technologies and ways of life.

Week 7 - Industrialisation and Art

'Impression Sunrise' (1873)

1.Define the Industrial Revolution and Industrialism.

The industrial revolution may be defined as the application of power-driven machinery to manufacturing. It had its beginnings in remote times with lesser technologies, and is still continuing in some places. all of western Europe began to industrialize rapidly during the 18th century, but for England the process was highly accelerated. England's head start may be attributed to the emergence of the number of numerous factors.


2.Research Monet's painting 'Impression Sunrise'(1873) to analyze the work in relation to Industrialisation.

During the 19th century the industrial revolution was at its peak. Manet illustrates the ideas of progression and the build up to a, you could say, bigger and better world. To the viewer, the sun gives the feeling that it is pulsing. This may be because our eyes are so used to seeing the sun in our everyday lives, and we naturally think of it as a pulsating object in the sky as it sends it heat waves down to us. Monet's shows this with the sun being a warm luminescent orange, this blends seemlesly with the grey clouds in the background. Also having the clouds behind the sun makes the sun seem as if it is in the foreground.

3.Olafur Eliasson's 'Weather Project'(2006) is a contemporary work that relates to Monet's
famous landscape.

Olafur Eliasson’s work and Manet’s works are very similar in colours both using the illusions of the sun with the viewers eyes. But with Olafurs work 'Weather project' he uses hundreds of monochromatic lamps to recreate the illusion that it is a sun. Both artists create a feeling of warmth and serenity by using orange, yellow and grey and black.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olafur_Eliasson#The_weather_project)

Week 5 - Science and Progress - Tony Oursler

Research Tony Oursler's projection sculpture to identify some of the ideas and methods he uses in his work.

How do you think the Enlightenment concepts of Science, progress, reason, individualism, empiricism, universalism, freedom and secularism can be applied to Oursler's work?


Tony oursler's work is based on installation projects which combine spoken text, performance, moving images and sculptural objects but mostly using video projection on a 2d or 3d surface such as balls, bubble like scupltures and also treetops and clouds of smoke. According to the artists website he has been said to have 'freed the video image from the "box" creating a hybrid of art and cinema'. He has been regarded by many as one of the unique, revolutionary contemporary artists of modern times. In one of his shows of works he focused on the head of the human body where the works were based on the head and the notion of the head as the premeable centre of consciousness. These works relate to the flow of elements such as smoke, thoughts, language, impulses, light, voice, memory, which interact with this central icon of the human head.
Tony oursler's installations are influenced by his interest in our information and media society and its effect. The elements listed previously are expressive of this interest as they use video technology as the central focus to create a strong relationship with humanity through the subject matter (the human head and in particular the eye).


Enlightenment can be described as influencing the current way of thinking. Tony Oursler is very well-known for his video and installation work around the world and he has been making works since 1981. He integrates sound, performance, moving images and scuplture in his videos and projects them onto oddly formed objects as mentioned above.