Interesting story on grafitti art on NPR this morning. In Bethlehem, Israel's security wall is being tagged by both international and local artists, in what can be seen as a display of defiance or, alternately, just an outlet for frustrated young people. You can listen to and read the story
A British grafitti artist (I suppose that is the proper term) is there, painting scenes such as a young girl frisking an Israeli soldier or a donkey having his ID card checked. Listening to the story I was a little irritated by this, because I didn't care much for the idea of Banksy, as he is known, dropping in and showing the Palestinians the kind of art that meant something. Looking at the pictures, though, I had to concede they have, regardless of politics, a certain artistic merit. Even if you divorce the conflict and whatever your opinions are, the strangely neutral tone of the little girl in a pink dress frisking a soldier- and with both free of local iconography- presents a kind of fascinating dissonance.
(Eric Westervelt, NPR)
There are other paintings as well, many other paintings, including a escalator taking a bunch of sillouhetes over the wall and a giant bug knocking over a row of dominoes that could, but don't have to, represent the security wall (kind of a Kafka-David Lynch-Abu Mazen mashup, if you will).
(Eric Westervelt, NPR)
My personal favorite, though, is this one, from an artist named “Sam 3″.
(Eric Westervelt, NPR)
That is, of course, Jake LaMotta preparing to take a punch from Sugar Ray Robinson. Robinson fought LaMotta six times (watch a clip of them fighting here, if you are a fan of the sweet science).
Why do I like this one so much? Because the bulk of the story is about Israel preventing suicide bombers, the economy of Palestine in general and Bethlehem specifically being choked (a source of frustration especially now, Christmas being the height of Bethlehem's tourist season) and the usual Israel/Palestine storylines. And those do need to be talked about, of course, and are of dizzying importance. But it is nice to think that someone there, for whatever reason, decided to spend his or her (his) time immortalizing one of boxing's great rivalries, for no reason other than the love of painting and the excitement he or she (he) feels about the sport. For me, that is a better Christmas message than any piety, real or show.
(caveat: CNN has a story today about tourism in Bethlehem being up this holiday season.)
3 Comments So Far»
Great post Brian.
Banksy is a genuine artist. I have his coffee table book on my, eh, coffee table.
In it there is a revealing exchange he has with a local Palestinian man who asks him to stop his work as they “don't want the wall to become beautiful”.
I don't doubt you have the book, John. Fellow travellers and all.
I was impressed by Banksy. Being, in general, a crank, I tend to cringe inside and gird myself for the worst when I hear “guerilla artist”, especially when intense politics are involved. The art tends to be the worst kind of meaningless and self-congratulatory schlock. So I was genuinely surprised that I liked his stuff. Even if he does go by one name.
Well, look don't get me wrong. He does the “guerilla” (aka: anti-American/Israeli) stuff as well. I don't particularly take to it myself and he relies heavily on that “fascinating dissonace” trick.
I’m sure some of your readers might find the apache helicopter street signs mildly offensive.
I think you’re wrong on the lack of “local iconography”. There is a very global iconography at work in the negative space of his work.
Two of his best examples of this on the West Bank wall are the little girl standing on a pile of rubble with a blue paradise behind her, and the middle class living room window world view. They’re both a brilliant attempt to reclaim that ghastly, unnecessary, illegal sign of occup…(Sorry, I’ll stop myself there Bone.)
Anyway, have a butchers: http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm
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