ok, so you all know i think banksy is a dickhead....

[26SidedCube]

Pick and choose, pick and choose. That's acceptable, that isn't. That is, that's not because I've been paying attention to this stuff longer. Your bourgeois-self couldn't possibly care about anything as much as I do. ...Well, if you read into it a little deeper you'll see that... It's okay, the best cause is to have no cause at all. Until you pretend to have a cause. Then we get angry at you. What? There's no meaning behind it? It's uninspired garbage. We don't want there to be a meaning behind it.. it's all in the action! The action isn't enough, we need a message! Your message sucks. You should just paint goofy characters. But careful, this guy does goofy characters and we'll compare you to him if you paint a goofy character. Don't bite, even though it's all one borrowed premise. Step outside of the premise and you're a fake. Step outside the premise with a bunch of 'in' heads behind you and it's acceptable.

 

I'm not entitled to an opinion because I have fuck all to do with writing on shit anymore, but I will so say this: Graffiti is too fucking neurotic to even try to make sense of. Basically, if Kez5 backed a 'street artist' half of you would think it's good because writing is 80% who-you-know pageantry.

 

Piss on everyone. Stick your dick in a lot of vaginas. Sleep. Repeat.

 

I should stop posting here.

[Gunm]

Banksy is the new Neckface as far as artitistic uproar and debates over credibility go

[BOLT CUTTERS]

yeah abc should make a thread about how much we should all hate neckface also

[Obvious]

we had shepard fairey, neckface, and banksy all having a show in town at the same time

[iloveboxcars]

i dont go to too many art shows.

 

 

i did go to this msk awr show awhile back though to meet up with some friends and reyes is pretty fucking good at the art thing.

[shai]

 

^This is what got to me. Why?

 

Banksy is good at what he does. But, being good at stencils does not and will never mean that you get a free pass to claim that what you do is graffiti...if you want to call it "street art", by all means, do so. But, when you take a really good concept, butcher it, and juxtapose it with something else and make money off of it...

 

TWIST is probably one of the most down to earth people that I've ever met. He never forgot where he came from, and he puts photos of his family and friends in all of the books and a lot of his installations....now, that's class. He's always been polite every time I've talked to him, and I can't recall ever having a single conversation with him about graffiti...most of our conversations were about surfing, bikes, or punk rock.

 

But, where does Banksy come from? What are his roots? What does he care about? Why does he feel the need to be inaccessible except when it comes time to get paid? Do the checks get written out to Banksy? Why is he important to graffiti, and what claim does he have to it?

[Weapon X]

 

 

 

The fuck is a black man doing at an art show? :confused:

[Obvious]

THe L.A. show on you tube.

 

 

i saw one of my spots in that clip, thanks for posting that

[Guest R@ndomH3ro]

The fuck is a black man doing at an art show? :confused:

 

With all them keys affixed to his belt, he clearly is the janitor or security

[AllTheWrongWords]

The fuck is a black man doing at an art show? :confused:

 

I think hes wondering the same thing.

[Guest R@ndomH3ro]

With all them keys affixed to his belt, he clearly is the janitor or security

 

Again...see answer above

[AllTheWrongWords]

Banksy is good at what he does. But, being good at stencils does not and will never mean that you get a free pass to claim that what you do is graffiti...if you want to call it "street art", by all means, do so. But, when you take a really good concept, butcher it, and juxtapose it with something else and make money off of it...

 

TWIST is probably one of the most down to earth people that I've ever met. He never forgot where he came from, and he puts photos of his family and friends in all of the books and a lot of his installations....now, that's class. He's always been polite every time I've talked to him, and I can't recall ever having a single conversation with him about graffiti...most of our conversations were about surfing, bikes, or punk rock.

 

But, where does Banksy come from? What are his roots? What does he care about? Why does he feel the need to be inaccessible except when it comes time to get paid? Do the checks get written out to Banksy? Why is he important to graffiti, and what claim does he have to it?

 

This is the best thing any has said so far.

 

AND without being a dick about it. Changed my perspective on shit.

[Guest R@ndomH3ro]

Shai is down with the know-ledgez

[Obvious]

banksy already won by having this thread about him (mostly in negative light it seems). he feeds off of controversy. that elephant worked for him, because it caused a politically correct outcry and mass news coverage. as a result, on sunday, there was a line that extended the whole street it was on and wrapped around along santa fe. i was surprised that even brad pitt and angelina jolie, macauly culkin and christina aguilera showed up. and the dude from my name is earl. the dude must be having some impact even on the haters if this thread is dedicated to him

[Obvious]

The fuck is a black man doing at an art show? :confused:

 

i think he worked there, but also, there were plenty of black people going there just to observe like everyone else

[Obvious]

 

^This is what got to me. Why?

 

Banksy is good at what he does. But, being good at stencils does not and will never mean that you get a free pass to claim that what you do is graffiti...if you want to call it "street art", by all means, do so. But, when you take a really good concept, butcher it, and juxtapose it with something else and make money off of it...

 

TWIST is probably one of the most down to earth people that I've ever met. He never forgot where he came from, and he puts photos of his family and friends in all of the books and a lot of his installations....now, that's class. He's always been polite every time I've talked to him, and I can't recall ever having a single conversation with him about graffiti...most of our conversations were about surfing, bikes, or punk rock.

 

But, where does Banksy come from? What are his roots? What does he care about? Why does he feel the need to be inaccessible except when it comes time to get paid? Do the checks get written out to Banksy? Why is he important to graffiti, and what claim does he have to it?

 

it's graffiti because what he does is illegal and it's put on walls. he's just going about it in a different way. it's all about trying to come up with something new/different and try to think outside of the box.

 

banksy has roots in graff, that's all i know, you know, doing the bombing, throwups, pieces, tags, etc... and he chose to branch off in a different path

[Devilush]

abc, i agree with you 100%. never liked the guys work.

[serum]

twist/ray fong gallery

looks like twist to me

 

By now, many of you may have heard that adidas and Barry McGee are being accused of being "racist" against Asians based on the "Ray Fong" image that appears on a new addidas shoe. We didn't post anything about this yet because, quite frankly, the idea that Barry McGee is racist against Asians is one of the most ludacris things we've heard in a long time. And quite frankly, we didn't want to extend or promote the discussion any further than it has already gone.

 

But this morning we received an email from Eric Nakamura, the founder of Giant Robot magazine and the stores. Eric's thoughts on this issue are spot on, so we thought we'd pass them along to you:

 

"Fight for Ray Fong

 

I know Asian Americans rally through emails. It seems like any worthwhile independent project or controversial topic spreads quickly this way. This is one of them, and honestly, it's not the most important topic, but it is something that I think you should know.

 

Yesterday, I received a pair of Ray Fong Adidas. They are truly beautiful shoes. The box, laces, and details are amazing. I doubt a sneaker can get much better.

 

I realize there's a lot of controversy over the Ray Fong image that appears on this shoe. It's been on CNN and BBC in addition to the viral emails I mentioned. As a friend of the artist Barry McGee, I feel the need to come forward and address the topic.

 

I've known Barry for nearly ten years, and I can safely say that he isn't racist. For many of you who are following this controversy, you should know that Barry McGee is half Chinese-American, and has been featured on the cover of Giant Robot magazine multiple times. We were proud to exhibit the work of Ray Fong at our gallery in Los Angeles earlier this year.

 

Let me try to explain who Barry McGee is.

 

Coming from a graffiti artist background in San Francisco, Barry has transformed into an important contemporary artist in America. I personally believe that he has taken aspects of modern graffiti, including bombs, tags, throw-ups, stickering, and scribing, and made them acceptable in the world of fine art. Since his ascension in art,

there have been numerous gallery and museum exhibits highlighting the new genre. The movement is featured in books and magazines around the world. One can also argue that it's given rise to a new industry in America, which is young contemporary art and many art-related products including designer toys, clothing lines, and, of course,

sneakers. Barry is at the forefront of this, albeit unintentionally.

 

Making any product is rare for Barry McGee, and the shoe by Adidas should be appreciated as an art object. At $250, it's obviously intended for a select audience, which may but most likely won't include you. The image isn't a joke at anyone's expense; it's part of Barry's artwork. From his own words, the image is actually a no-holds-

barred depiction of himself as a child. This isn't a racist Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirt or an offensive Adam Carolla broadcast. Imagery like this is something that's been done by many respected artists including Kara E. Walker, Kehinde Wiley, James Luna, and Manuel Ocampo. Basically it's taking negative stereotypical imagery and using them in a proud manner. Barry McGee's Ray Fong image can be looked at in a similar light, and will undoubtedly outlive us all. It will be placed into permanent collections in museums. It will be written about for years to come. It may eventually be in art history books. I believe that Barry's art is precious, and an important part of art history.

 

As an Asian American, I am proud to have Barry McGee as a role model. In the realm of graffiti and street art culture, there are few Asian-American faces involved, and none with Barry's widespread appeal. He is perhaps the most respected graffiti artist of all, and his audience ranges from broke art kids to billionaire museum

benefactors. Most Asian Americans may not know Barry McGee or appreciate his art (yet), and that's a shame, but I recognize him as a hero and rank him among the 50 most culturally important Asian Americans.

 

Lastly, I know that this will eventually boil over and disappear. Those who hate Adidas for the moment will probably go back and buy a pair of shoes. I was going to let this go away, but after hearing the constant talk and reports of racism associated with Barry McGee, I felt the need to explain the Ray Fong I know. Help spread this side of the story.

 

 

Eric Nakamura

Giant Robot magazine

Giant Robot stores

gr/eats

 

(from wooster)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i think id rather talk about how cool twist is than waste any time on banksy

what about those shoes? id waste money on twist shoes.

[Devilush]

exactly. i dont find that ray fong image insulting at all.

 

go barry.

[Abracadabra]

yeah abc should make a thread about how much we should all hate neckface also

 

:rolleyes:

[iloveboxcars]

HA!!

[shai]

it's graffiti because what he does is illegal and it's put on walls. he's just going about it in a different way. it's all about trying to come up with something new/different and try to think outside of the box.

 

banksy has roots in graff, that's all i know, you know, doing the bombing, throwups, pieces, tags, etc... and he chose to branch off in a different path

 

Yeah, and he sucks at graffiti. Stencils have their place in the street art lexicon, and if you want to call it bombing, be my guest. One of the things I respect about Shepard Fairey is that he distances himself from graffiti...he doesn't claim to be doing graffiti, he went to RISD and has a very clear idea about what he's doing and why he does it. He's not trying to blur the line between the street art movement and graffiti- you can knock what he's doing, but at least he's honest about it and doesn't misrepresent it in any way.

 

 

Banksy is trying to be all things to a broad audience, but if I were him I'd be getting down with some people from the UK with talent and collaborating with them, or at lest giving them some credit for where he is today.

 

I honestly didn't give this any thought until ABC pointed it out. The reason it's got me heated is because I know people who have far more talent that ren't getting half the recognition they deserve, and this guy's laughing all the way to the bank.

[El Mamerro]

I honestly didn't give this any thought until ABC pointed it out. The reason it's got me heated is because I know people who have far more talent that ren't getting half the recognition they deserve, and this guy's laughing all the way to the bank.

 

But are they doing enough to get that recognition? Whatever your stance on Banksy is, he's getting his work out there by whatever means it takes and people are taking notice, whether it's deserved or not. Maybe these other guys have to step up their shit, they stood around while a lesser talent scooped up the headlines.

[Abracadabra]

But are they doing enough to get that recognition? Whatever your stance on Banksy is, he's getting his work out there by whatever means it takes and people are taking notice, whether it's deserved or not. Maybe these other guys have to step up their shit, they stood around while a lesser talent scooped up the headlines.

 

agreed. there are plenty of people out there deserving of attention that are getting it in the graffiti world, but if you're looking for newspaper headlines and brad pitt at your shows, you gotta spread your net a little wider

[shai]

agreed. there are plenty of people out there deserving of attention that are getting it in the graffiti world, but if you're looking for newspaper headlines and brad pitt at your shows, you gotta spread your net a little wider

 

Agreed.

 

But, it reminds me of something me and Fermentor were discussing...in the 21st century, fame is a sucker's game, and the very idea of someone who operates outside of the law going after publicity is kind of ridiculous in this day and age. Eventually, you're not going to be able to maintain the level of anonymity to be an outlaw anymore...at some point you'll become another gallery commodity to people who don't really care whether you're putting in real work or just maintaining an image that's marketable.

[iloveboxcars]

and then it's all down hill on square wheels and puss filled vaginas from then on out.

[Guest R@ndomH3ro]

And all this effects me how?????

[Abracadabra]

shai- well, if your plan is to "move on" from graffiti, that's the risk you take

[shai]

If you're lucky.

[iloveboxcars]

moving on from graffiti is like a fig tree in kuwait.