Banksy vs. the Olympics

Well, this is weird.

Banksy needs no introduction, as probably the most sought-after street artist in the world by collectors and graffiti afficianadoes alike. When one of his pieces appears on a wall, it is generally preserved as a tourist attraction. Anyhow, as you may have heard, London is hosting the Olympics. In light of this, various officials have stated that any Olympics-themed street art or graffiti will be removed – according to vandalog anyhow. But, oh noes, Banksy has created Olympic-themed graffiti! What to do? Do the authorities wipe away the work of arguably the most famous street artist in the world, eradicating culture for the sake of crass commercialism, or do they leave it, making a mockery of their own laws? Oh, the dilemma.

Various newsy types have been going on and on about this latest development including the BBC & the Mirror UK. For what it’s worth, the Beeb states that:

Olympic organisers Locog said there were not any official guidelines on removing graffiti.

Street artists say their freedom of expression is being curtailed as Olympic-themed artwork is quickly being removed.

A spokeswoman for Ealing Council said …

“This is in line with our policy to remove all reported graffiti as soon as possible, unless we have been made aware in advance that it is there with the consent of the building owner and it is not offensive,” she added…

“It’s nice that the whole country is getting a facelift. Graffiti makes an area look neglected and unloved and it impacts how people feel about an area,” she said.

“We have a million extra people coming here so we want them to see the area looking its best.”

Yeah, well. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. Whatever comes of all this kerfuffle it’s interesting to see that graffiti is making the news for political reasons. As Banksy once said (harsh language warning)…

“People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.

“You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.

“Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.

“You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.”

More of Banksy’s work can be seen on his website.