Creativity in the U.K.--Banksy, the mysterious graffiti artist around town

The following picture is an image spray-painted by Banksy, an anonymous (no one knows what he looks like) graffiti artist who makes various political statements through his artwork. The man in this picture is just a pedestrian. There are several (and I mean several) other pictures of Banksy's work. They are so funny! To look at more pictures of his work, go to the following web site: http://www.artofthestate.co.uk/Banksy/banksy-lenin-on-rollerskates-andipa.htm.

Banksy is an incredibly wise and innovative artist. He expresses his opinions and feelings through a contemporary version of art (i.e. graffiti) and strategically chooses the locations for each of his masterpieces. Although his art could be considered vandalism, the mysteriousness of when he crafts his art (at night), where he does it (various locations around London), and who he is (a guy who wears a hood) keeps people interested. Personally, this guy fascinates me. I wish I could catch him in the act so I could see what he looks like and how he goes about his artistic missions each night.

This particular picture that I chose speaks a lot about London’s civil government structure. Specifically, I think that Banksy is referencing to the constant use of security cameras around the city of London, or CCTV as it is called. The British government clearly has concerns about safety. This is probably due to the city’s history of bombings and the possibility of terrorist attacks. Also, this covers the pick-pocketing epidemic.

I have even had experience with the dramatic presence of the CCTV cameras. My friends and I were exiting a tube station near Hyde Park about a week ago and we chose to take the emergency stairs exit route instead of the lift, since there was a long line. Within seconds after climbing the stairs, the public announcement system came on and the officials advised the passengers climbing the emergency stairs to keep to the right of the stairwell and to exit immediately. They had seen us using the forbidden stairs within seconds! We were amazed yet a little creeped out at the same time.

I am confident that Banksy spray-painted this picture to mock the English government for its “hovering nature”. It is quite a funny image, having a spy poke a spyglass up from the opening of a trashcan while someone in real life passes the building wall. It would scare me if I turned around and saw the picture staring at me after I walked by it! The image portrays the constant surveillance of the city of London and its people. To me, it acts as a reminder that says, “Watch out. We’re watching.” The government reminds me of a Big Brother figure with its use of CCTV cameras. As to the location of this image, I do not know where it is located in London. I do wish to know why Banksy chose that particular spot. There could be significance, like with some of his other images.

I am quite impressed by Banksy’s collections of graffiti art. Some of his images are just entertaining, but some of them portray strong political messages. He is so clever! I find it weird, however, that the British government has not taken serious measures to stop him. Although I want him to be able to keep up his scheming, I still wonder why the public’s reactions to him are not as severe. Obviously, this says something about the culture here in the United Kingdom. They appreciate blunt humor and abstract ways of showing it. I wish Banksy would visit the United States more often!