Banksy: Welcome to the fair, which life isn't
Have you ever seen a grim reaper ride around in a bumper car to live music on the Lower East Side? Last night I did.
"This sculpture perfectly represents death, in that it's a bit...random."
Banksy the British street artist is living in New York and debuting a new piece every day for 30 days. Last night he departed from his typical graffiti street art to create something that moves.
Don't Fear The Reaper had been playing, but when I arrived to meet my roommate the music switched to live accordion and violin (or possibly viola).
The role of art is to remind us of our own mortality... "Banksy's take on that seems to be mounting an art show that goes on for so long, we all wish we were dead already."
My roommate and I only heard that quote, from the audio guide on Banksy's own website, after we returned home from the escapade. Yet, it may have been even more fitting than Banksy intended: what do you do when your grim reaper riding a bumper car gets stuck? If the sight weren't oddly attractive enough, my roommate and I stood transfixed as two musicians who had been playing in the shadows walked up to the grim reaper and tried to push him back into movement. It was eerily like a father pushing his child around on a red wagon or a bike. Somehow, despite the apparent technical difficulties, the illusion didn't break. It was just as ridiculous--if not more so--than the artist had intended.
"This sculpture perfectly represents death, in that it's a bit...random."
Banksy the British street artist is living in New York and debuting a new piece every day for 30 days. Last night he departed from his typical graffiti street art to create something that moves.
Don't Fear The Reaper had been playing, but when I arrived to meet my roommate the music switched to live accordion and violin (or possibly viola).
The role of art is to remind us of our own mortality... "Banksy's take on that seems to be mounting an art show that goes on for so long, we all wish we were dead already."
My roommate and I only heard that quote, from the audio guide on Banksy's own website, after we returned home from the escapade. Yet, it may have been even more fitting than Banksy intended: what do you do when your grim reaper riding a bumper car gets stuck? If the sight weren't oddly attractive enough, my roommate and I stood transfixed as two musicians who had been playing in the shadows walked up to the grim reaper and tried to push him back into movement. It was eerily like a father pushing his child around on a red wagon or a bike. Somehow, despite the apparent technical difficulties, the illusion didn't break. It was just as ridiculous--if not more so--than the artist had intended.
Comments
Post a Comment