Banksy, vandal or artist?

[marharth]

not his property.

not his property.

property that doesn't belong to him.

vandalism

 

You people have no hearts. :P

If I owned some ugly-ass brick building, I wouldn't mind if Banksy dropped by and gave the facade some artistic touches.

But some people would.

 

It has to be illegal, what will the police department and courts do, hire art inspectors?

[ita]

Illegal, yes.

Doesn't mean that we shouldn't be allowed to appreciate his works anyway.

[marharth]

Illegal, yes.

Doesn't mean that we shouldn't be allowed to appreciate his works anyway.

Its perfectly fine to appreciate his work, but the question is if its vandalism or art.

[McclaudEagle]

There are many reasons why his work is illegal. A few points listed:

 

1. Graffiti devalues property in the area, not just the property it's on.

 

2. If the authorities allowed him to do it, every guy with a spray can would follow.

 

3. It costs the local councils/authorities thousands to clean it up.

 

4. The money that is used to clean it up comes from the taxpayer.

 

5. The property that is covered in graffiti is most of the time not the property of the "artist"

 

6. The owner of the property has not likely to have been asked permission for it to be done.

 

Those are just a few of the many reasons it's a crime.

[marharth]

There are many reasons why his work is illegal. A few points listed:

 

1. Graffiti devalues property in the area, not just the property it's on.

 

2. If the authorities allowed him to do it, every guy with a spray can would follow.

 

3. It costs the local councils/authorities thousands to clean it up.

 

4. The money that is used to clean it up comes from the taxpayer.

 

5. The property that is covered in graffiti is most of the time not the property of the "artist"

 

6. The owner of the property has not likely to have been asked permission for it to be done.

 

Those are just a few of the many reasons it's a crime.

It has a chance of raising property value if its a famous person actually.

 

Either way its still illegal.

[ita]

Technically he's guilty of vandalism. However in my opinion it's a petty form of vandalism, as I have yet to hear that he's intentionally sabotaged something or otherwise caused deliberate damage, other than applying paint to various structures. In that particular aspect, he's a step up from the hooligans who scribble swear words upon every available wall with their marker pens, or scratch cars, or the ones who always break the plexiglass panels down at the bus stop, creating a nuisance for both pedestrians and motorists.

 

Also, in one case one of his works caused so much debate that the local city council (presumably the owners of the property he defiled) asked the public whether the work should stay or be removed and a vast majority voted for the work to remain. So some people obviously look beyond the mere legal aspects of his works.

[yoba333]

The Banksy I saw sold for about 200,000 dollars if I'm not mistaken.. So the owner of that property was probably quite happy that Banksy put it up there on his otherwise bare and ugly wall.

[ub3rman123]

Aye, but what of those who try to copy him? They're just spraying stuff on a wall for what the property owner cares.

[yoba333]

Aye, but what of those who try to copy him? They're just spraying stuff on a wall for what the property owner cares.

 

Yes, I suppose...

 

What's funny is yesterday I drove by a couple of stores and saw that someone had taken one of Banksy's stencils (The one with the chimpanzee that says "Who's laughing now?") and put it on an electrical box. They put their name on it instead of Banksy's though.

[Flintlockecole]

Personally hes both from my point of view, An artist who sees a city as a blank canvas. His work's are amazing but criminal at the same time.