Banksy: Mystery artist of my dreams

I was at work today, just putzing around on the internet (shh, don’t tell my boss!) and I came across some articles about this wonderful subversive almost-graffiti artist from England. His names (hopefully obviously) Banksy, and he’s contributed his own flair to places ranging from the Gaza Strip to the British Museum.

I first found out about him through a blog called WebUrbanist, a site that explores urban culture, focusing on visual art from advertising to architecture. I’d been perusing their articles on gurilla advertising, and eventually branched off into Banksy.

He’s frekin amazing. He focuses on pop culture and environmental degradation and the military and EVERYTHING. No one knows who this guy is, either. I mean, even his manifesto isn’t about him–it’s just about how graffiti is a powerful force for (rather questionable) justice.

This also comes down to the fact that I love modern art in all of its forms. I’ll watch modern dance until my eyes hurt, I think I’ll only ever buy modern art for my living spaces, and modern music intrigues me to no end. And this guy has everything I love about modern art: it’s not about individuals, it’s about ideas. It doesn’t even use individuals as examples, it uses archetypes. The colors are always simple and usually subdued. If there’s something that stands out, it’s there for a reason, and the clever satirical poke at society is usually obvious.

So I’m a fan. If he ever gets outed, I’m adding him as a facebook friend.