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Council adds its own touch to a Banksy
Jack Lefley, Evening Standard07.11.07
Works by maverick street artist Banksy are being restored by council workers to protect them from graffiti vandals.
One piece in Islington has been repaired five times by workmen who paint over the offending "tags".
A worker was spotted retouching the artist's "Tate Gallery" piece in Martineau Road, near Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.
Banksy's work sells for six-figure sums to Hollywood stars such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. But some of his pieces that appear in public places without permission have been condemnedas vandalism. Tower Hamlets council has threatened to remove any work by the artist that appears on its patch without permission.
But it seems that Islington makes a clear distinction between his creations and that of the graffiti vandals " tagging" over his work.
One onlooker thought the workmen were about to remove the piece in Islington on Monday afternoon and stopped to remonstrate with them. Vicky Bamforth, 40, of Hackney, said: "I was driving past and got out because I thought they were about to try to get rid of it. I asked them what they were doing and they were very cagey. But eventually they admitted that it kept getting vandalised and they were repairing it."
She added: "A lot of people in the area really like Banksy's work and it's a bit worrying the council thinks anyone with a paintbrush is qualified to restore pieces worth thousands.
"At what point does it stop being a Banksy and start being a collaboration with Islington council?"
Islington today defended its policy to clean up and repair the artist's work. It insisted it was spending taxpayers' money on the operation in response to residents' demands. Deputy leader and executive member for environment, Lucy Watt, said: "We take a very hard line on graffiti and remove it within 24 hours when it is reported to us.
"However, residents have been telling us Banksy is in a class of his own, his art sells for thousands, and they don't want us to remove the work.
"Because of the quality and renown of Banksy's work in Islington many people want to see it preserved."
Reader views (13)
I can imagine that Banksy would be revolted by what the council is doing. Setting him apart by how much money his pieces have made? This seems to be against his principles on what he tries to portray to the world and if I were him I would certainly be cringing over the lengths people go to preserve his work, when all pieces really ought to be treated equally - I mean come on! There are more talented graffiti artists than Banksy, he just happens to be famous. He should not be segregated into another category and be placed upon a pedestal and be treated differently because of that, it goes against the idea of street art in general.
- Anna, Copenhagen, Denmark
This is absolutely appalling, Banksy's work is restored as thousands of pieces of graffiti and street art are removed and buffed. I love street art and Banksy's work is great but how is it fair?
The council is sending out a message that graffiti is illegal yet they are restoring this work.
Unjust.
- Shongle, Huddersfield
Deputy leader and executive member for environment, Lucy Watt, said: "We take a very hard line on graffiti and remove it within 24 hours when it is reported to us."
This comment by Ms. Watt is hilarious and very revealing about Banksy's effects as an artist. The art elite operate under these bourgeois rules of propriety, and Banksy is revealing how arbitrary these fantasies truly are. He is the new Andy Warhol, blurring lines of "high" art and "low" art in order to undermine the politics of this absurd game.
- Patrick, Cleveland, Ohio, US
This piece isn't being protected because it is a thought-provoking piece, it's being protected because it's "worth thousands (of pounds)" and thus increases house prices, which helps make the rich richer.
Banksy has gone from being an anti-establishment figure, to one the middle class love now that his work sells for crazy prices.
I've seen far more beautiful pieces than Banksys painted over by the council. It has nothing to do with an appreciation of art, and everything to do with greed.
Banksy's work is losing it's appeal as now, when people look at it, they don't see the message he's trying to put forward, just the price tag.
And that is a real shame
- Dave The Chimp, East London
I can imagine Banksy enjoying all these situations! All these have never happened again and it is funny that society for first time matters so much about what is street on the streets, and what deserves to be respected!
What I would also imagine and laugh at is Banky himself writting tags, destoying his own pieces, and enjoying what happens next, more!
Of course that is only in my imagination!
- Rtmone, Nafplio, Greece
Although Banksy's work is good, it is NOT in a class of its own, you all need to realise that it is just as much graffiti as any tag or piece, that is not to say that it is not art. I think that art and graffiti are the same thing. Just because you don't know or appreciate the rich culture and asthetics of tags doesn't mean that you can pass them off as not being art, tags are done for loads of reasons, but whatever the reason it doesn't make them any less an art form.
One idea to think about whilst sipping your mocca in Starbucks is that just because somthing is a piece of art doesn't immediatly mean that you have to like it, or that it is any good, it merely means that you recognise it as art.
As to the people going over tags on the Banksy piece, I don't think they should remove the tags, as graffiti on the street it should be allowed to be tagged over destroyed or even painted over because graffiti is a constant evolving thing not somthing to be done and then covered in glass or repainted each time an addition is made to it.
- Joel, London
Banksy has always produced thought-provoking pieces. If some have provoked enough thought that the establishment has decided to protect them, then so be it. In the art world and the graffiti world, certain pieces are more revered than others, and the majority of the participants in both cultures are hacks. Banksy has set himself apart over the years through quality and content. The above article is simply recognition of his impact on not only graffiti, but on the environments he has painted.
- Roland Bishop, USA
Graffiti is dead and it has been since everyone and their grandma have been trying to pass it off as art.
- Adam, London
Graffiti vandals? And Banksy is what exactly? 'Oh he's an artist' will come the aggrieved reply of the terminally up themselves, but surely all art is subjective so who's to say the rest of the wall scrawlings aren't?
- Paul, London
I cringed with embarrassment at Hackney Council spokesman's jobsworth-comments about something he didn't understand and wasn't going to bother finding out about. At least Islington Council workers have the right idea, namely, to appreciate the talented, witty and often thought-provoking Banksy.
- Peter, London W11
The difference between Banksy and taggers is that Banksy at least has some sort of social commentary, taggers are quite simply showing off that they can spell their name.
- Kit Robinson, Hounslow
When are people going to stop calling this street vandal an artist. It is just junk, why don't you try and find Banksy and see if he will paint your house for you.
- David Kitemaker-Hall, London, UK
Also shows just how rubbish these tagging buffoons are if they tag over Banksy - they're not fit to shake his aerosols.
- Squiz, Islington
